Dark Mirror Trilogy
by Ellen Brand
Summary: PC 1012, now Chaptered. Rita makes a pair of Dark Reflections, which leads to one MAJOR problem.
1. Dark Mirror 1: Tiger Tiger

_**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers belong to Saban, not me. Thanks to Jen Bigley for the spirit animals of White and Green powers. The concepts of Chronos and Kairos were created by Madeline L'Engle, and are used without permission. This fanfic rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America. Some violence, some cursing. This story is in the "Personality Conflicts" series, taking place after Revelations."Terminology note: "Zeos" refers to Zeo Rangers, the ten of them. "Power Rangers" refers to all the members of both teams, Zeo and Morphin Warriors. "Morphin Warriors" refers to- well, you don't really need me to explain this one, do you?_

**Dark Mirror One: Tiger, Tiger**

  


Time is like light. Depending on how you look at it, it changes. Sometimes time runs in a straight progression, like the waters of a river. Other times, from other directions, time is circular, and causality is lost. Its movements are fluid, and can be manipulated. Different beings live in different types of time, and meetings between the two can prove disastrous. Humans, most of them, live in Chronos, ordinary, measured time, time that moves in numbers, from cause and effect. A select few live in Kairos, true time, which is not measured by human standards, and often flows into itself. One place on Earth where Chronos and Kairos interconnect is Angel Grove, home to the Power Rangers.   
The timestream around Angel Grove was disturbed. Picture time as a cotton thread, made up of many other threads. These threads are the Nexuses, the events, people and things upon which history turns. At one point in Earth's timestream, the thread was turned back on itself, creating a loop. Unfortunately, a problem occurred with this loop. A Nexus entered it that never came out. This Nexus was comprised of six golden coins, links to the power of the Morphin Grid. The coins were destroyed during the loop, so that when the Zeo Crystal returned the timestream to its original progression, a seamless merging was prevented. It was almost as if one cotton thread that comprised the many was severed. The result was a timesnarl.   
Anywhere else in the universe, the timesnarl would have caused disastrous repercussions. It might almost have led local time to collapse upon itself. However, Angel Grove was different. The town was situated on a major groundstar, a nexus of ley lines. These lines, which channeled the natural magic of the planet, also lent resiliency to the space-time continuum. Instead of a collapse, the snarl simply became a discontinuity, which the inhabitants of Chronos dealt with as best they could. Their minds merged their timestreams together, so that only one version of events existed in their minds. Meanwhile, the few inhabitants of Kairos found themselves with no memory of the altered timestream, protected from it by their exposure to magic. Only one of them had any altered memories at all, but this is not her story.   
There was one other consequence of the destruction of the coins. The power within them was set free. In a normal time area, the power would have dissipated, eventually being absorbed back into the Morphing Grid from whence it came. In the loop, however, the power was contained and reflected around, building until it could no longer be held. It then erupted into the timestream at the place the barrier was weakest, where a suitable spirit was waiting to receive it.   
In the hills outside Angel Grove, the sounds of singing were setting birds into panicked flight. It wasn't that the singer was so bad, it was simply that he was loud. Rounding a hill, Skull grinned up at the incredibly blue sky. "What a day," he sighed. "Too bad the others couldn't come with me." As he hiked, Skull thought about his new friends, the Power Rangers. They were the same people he had made fun of for years, calling them "geeks" and "dweebs," mainly because he was jealous. Jealous of their popularity and of their friendship. Now, however, they had accepted him into their group, making him one of them. Not only that, but he had finally gotten a date with Kimberly Hart.   
"Yess!" Skull cried to no one in particular, pumping one fist in the air. Not only had Kim agreed to go out with him, but the two of them now were together, a couple, almost as close as Tommy and Kimberly had once been.   
Skull sighed. Tommy had been a great friend, and Skull was finding that he rather enjoyed covering for his friends when they had a problem. It was an exercise in creativity, and he was beginning to find that he was rather good at it.   
Suddenly a glimmer by his feet caught his eye. Looking down, he found a crystal ball lying on the ground. He gingerly prodded it with one foot. It didn't move. Squatting, he examined it more closely.   
"It's the Orb of Doom," he realized suddenly. His hand reached out to it, then he stopped. This thing had been atrociously bad news, he remembered. Master Vile had used it to transform all of the world into what it had been seven years before, making Skull, Bulk, and all of the Rangers into ten year-old children. As he thought, his hand came to rest on the crystal of its own accord.   
Suddenly a surge of white energy ripped through him, knocking him back several feet. "Ohhh," he groaned, shaking his head. "That was really stupid!" As he rose, he suddenly realized that he was glowing with white light. "I'd better talk to the head about this," Skull gulped, reaching for his communicator. Looking at it, he realized that the rainbow stripes that had decorated it were now all bleached to white. Tapping the button, Skull teleported out. 

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small Winnebago on the Moon, Rita Repulsa was pondering recent events and discoveries, an evil smile on her face. "So Tommy is my half-brother," she mused. "I don't know which one's worse, my half-brother or my whole one." Outside, she could hear Rito and Goldar arguing with each other as if there was no tomorrow. "It's too bad that Tommy's come to terms with the evil in his spirit. I could have used him on my side. Perhaps I still can."   
In front of her sat her most recent discovery, a hand mirror with a wooden frame carved into the shapes of various demons, and a mirror surface of the purest obsidian. "Yessss," she purred. "The Mirror of Night will serve me well. Goldar!" she shrieked. The golden-armored warrior teleported before her instantly.   
"Yes, Empress?" Goldar asked obsequiously.   
"I want you to take the Mirror of Night to Earth. Pick a fight with the Zeo Rangers, and make sure they don't have time to morph. Catch Tommy's reflection in the glass and bring it back here. Do you understand me?"   
"Yes, my Queen," Goldar bowed, teleporting out in a flash of golden flame. 

* * *

In the Power Chamber, Skull had finished telling Zordon his story, and Zordon had then summoned the Morphin Warriors to the Chamber. Skull raised his eyebrows when he realized that the Zeo Rangers were absent, but said nothing.   
"Skull, you have been infused with the powers of the Power Coins, creating a link between you and the Morphin Grid. You are now the White Morphin Warrior."   
Skull's jaw dropped. "I'm WHAT?"   
"When the coins were destroyed, the power of all six colors mixed, making the power White, the color of light. When you approached the Orb of Doom, you were drawn forward that you might receive the power, which could no longer be contained in the timesnarl."   
"Why me? Was I just in the right place at the right time?"   
"No. You see, the power could have broken into our timestream at any point. Time is meaningless for it. You were simply the White spirit closest to the snarl in time."   
"White spirit?"   
"Your personality is that belonging to White Rangers. You are noble, courageous of spirit, and understanding. In addition, you have the mental powers that most White Rangers have."   
Skull frowned. "Psychic. You mean like Christina?"   
"Yes. Although you are not a healer, you have the same latent telepathic-telekinetic powers that she has. This sensitivity is one of the reasons you have done so well at your detecting."   
Skull nodded thoughtfully. "I've always been good at reading people. Does this mean I have to wear Spandex?"   
Billy chuckled. "I don't know, Skull. As you can see, it's fifty-fifty so far. Let me see if I can explain how the costumes work. The Power Rangers, the original ones, drew their costume imagery from two sources. The first was the needs of the power. That meant that whatever costume the power's avatar wore, it had to allow freedom of movement, some protection, and had to hide the avatar's identity. Also, it had to bear the stamp of the power it stood for.   
"The rest of the costume was determined by the collective unconscious images of the team who would wield the power. For most of us, Spandex determines the image of the superhero, so the outfits were skintight. Since humans are extremely visually oriented, the outfits were mainly color-coded, with only a slight stylistic variation to the helmets to identify the power animal.   
"The Power Rangers worked as a team, and therefore had to resemble each other, hence drawing from the collective image. The Morphin Warriors are different. In the first place, the identity is hidden by magic instead of a helmet. Only those close to us or those who know our identities can tell who we are. The costumes are also drawn from the individual image, because the power is not so dependent on teamwork. It is still our greatest strength, but it is no longer our only one."   
Skull nodded. "So what you're basically saying is that I won't know until I transform."   
Billy grinned. "Exactly."   
Sighing, Skull shrugged. "Well, here goes nothing. Tigerzord!" In a flash of bright white light, Skull found himself clad in a pair of white jeans, rather like the blue ones he always wore, and a white tunic top. Experimentally, he tried a few kicks, and found that the jeans were just loose enough to allow freedom of movement, but not loose enough to interfere. They were slightly less roomy than the pants to his gi. In the chest of the tunic was set a golden coin with the symbol of the tiger.   
"Not bad," he grinned. "Let's see what I have for a weapon." Concentrating, he felt a surge of energy flow through him. Suddenly, the energy coalesced into a long silver saber. It was a cavalry saber, approximately two and a half feet long, made of purest silver. Skull had a feeling, however, that it was enchanted to be a lot harder than steel. He tested its weight and heft with a few practice swings and thrusts, letting out a delighted laugh. "It's perfect!" he grinned. "Perfectly balanced. Makes sense, I guess."   
The other Morphin Warriors laughed at his obvious enjoyment. In a flash, Skull morphed back into civvies. Just then, the alarm went off, drawing everyone's attention to the viewing globe.   
"Oof!" Tommy cried, as another Tenga hit him in the gut. The birds were attacking far more ruthlessly than usual, and as a result, he was taking quite a beating. Goldar and the Tengas had attacked him as he was walking in the park, throwing up a forcefield which made it impossible for the Zeo Rangers to teleport in. Tommy had to handle things alone, and was severely outnumbered. "Chew on this," he snarled, flinging a fireball at a Tenga unlucky enough to get too close. The bird teleported out in a hail of charred feathers.   
"Very impressive, Tommy," Goldar growled. "However you will not stop us from procuring what we came for." Holding up the Mirror of Night, Goldar turned the glass so that the struggling Tommy was reflected in its black depths. There was a flash, and suddenly Tommy sank to his knees.   
"Farewell, Red Ranger. I have my prize." Turning casually to the Tenga on his left, Goldar gestured at Tommy dismissively. "Kill him," he growled, disappearing in a flash of golden flame. Squawking evilly, the Tengas closed in on the fallen Ranger, who was desperately trying to get to his feet.   
Suddenly six columns of light appeared, and the Tenga advancing on Tommy was thrown away from him violently. Looking up, Tommy saw the Morphin Warriors battling the Tengas. Six? he thought, confused. There are only five Morphin Warriors. Who's in White? Squinting, he examined the White one carefully. He gasped. "Skull?"   
Skull grinned at his astonished friend. "In the flesh. You want to give us a hand here?"   
"Yeah, okay. Zeo Ranger V, Red!" In a flash, Tommy became the Red Ranger. Springing to his feet, he threw himself into the fight.   
Trini and Zack were fighting Tengas back to back, enjoying themselves immensely. The tall Asian girl wore a skin-tight yellow bodysuit with a gauzy, flowing robe over it. The robe did nothing to hinder her movements, however, or hide the gold coin set into the center of her chest, bearing the symbol of the bear. Currently, she was cutting a very nasty swath through the Tengas with a pair of jeweled daggers.   
Zack, on the other hand, was wearing a loose black top, somewhat reminiscent of the outfits worn by the Ninja Rangers, and a pair of loose pants. The coin set into his chest bore the symbol of the Lion. In one hand was an ax, somewhat like the one he had wielded as the Black Ranger.   
Meanwhile, Jason had led a number of Tengas to attack him, drawing them away from his friends. Jason's red armor slowed him down some, but it provided him with more than enough protection to make up for it. Also, he was certainly strong enough to stand up to the punches they threw at him. He was carving his way through them so efficiently with his fists that he didn't even need the broadsword he wore by his side. Gleaming from the center of his breastplate was the symbol of the Tyrannosaurus.   
On the other side of the field, Kimberly and Billy were side by side, in the team they had perfected many years before. Kimberly wore her long sleeved, long legged pink Spandex leotard and ankle boots, and shot her bow and arrows at the Tengas with pinpoint accuracy. Set into her chest was the symbol of the Firebird.   
Billy was also firing his laser pistol at the Tengas, freezing them into place with his well-aimed shots. His blue visor displayed a cross-hairs, allowing him to pick his shots with pinpoint accuracy. He wore a blue bodysuit, rather like his Blue Ranger one, except that this was solid blue. His boots, gloves, and vest were of a darker blue, and in the center of the vest was the coin of the Wolf.   
Meanwhile, Skull and Red Ranger were fighting back-to-back, sending Tengas in all directions. Finally, the last of the birds was sent packing, and the seven teens demorphed. Tommy staggered suddenly as the Red energy ceased to course through his system. Jason and Zack quickly caught him. "Tommy, are you all right?" Jason asked, concerned.   
"I don't know. That mirror of Goldar's seemed to suck the energy right out of me. I think we'd better go back to the Power Chamber and talk to Zordon about this." In seven flashes of light, the teens teleported out. 

* * *

"Excellent!" Rita gloated, taking the mirror from Goldar with great care. "Now get out of here, Monkeyboy! The next section of this spell takes a lot of concentration, and I don't need you bugging me." Goldar left, and Rita turned her attention the mirror on the table.   
"I think it's time for a change of look," she mused. Heading into her little bedroom, she shucked out of her gown and pulled her hair out of the cones it had been styled in for the past twelve millennia. Sighing, she examined herself in the full length mirror. The outfit that she had worn had been traditional for witches of her planet for untold stretches of time. However, just before the final battle with Zordon's forces, some of the girls had switched to another style, claiming that it was more comfortable and more frightening than the traditional getup. Her father had never approved, of course.   
"But he's gone," she grinned at herself. She was finally free of that old tyrant, who had made her childhood so miserable with all his bellowing and blustering. "Time for me to change."   
Going to her wardrobe, she removed a long black caftan. It was covered with silver embroidery in symbols that made one ill if examined too closely. She pulled it in at the waist with a belt of silver cord. Then she turned her attention to her hair. It was far too long and unmanageable to leave down, but she certainly didn't want to put it up in the cones again. After several attempts, she found a combination of combs and pins that she liked. It highlighted the cruel beauty of her features, instead of drawing the attention away.   
Once Rita had reshaped her appearance to her liking, she rose and re-entered her workroom. Drawing various symbols on the floor, she placed the mirror on a table in the middle of the design. Then she began to chant in a language far older than the planet below. It was a language spoken by evil beings long before Earth had even begun to develop civilization, a language old as time itself, and reeking with the blackest evil.   
Suddenly the mirror began to pulse with a red light. The light began to change, fading to a strange green color, and suddenly a perfect replica of Tommy Oliver stood in the center of the room. Perfect, that is, until he raised his eyes and smiled. The smile was cold, totally devoid of emotion. A thrill ran through Rita. She had succeeded in creating a completely evil version of Tommy. No spells, no clones, simply a solidification of all the darkness within him, a twisting of all that resided within his soul.   
The Dark Reflection's gaze came to rest on Rita, and he suddenly sank down on one knee. "My Empress. How may I serve you?"   
"Tell me your name," Rita commanded.   
"I am a reflection of the person known as Thomas Tyler Oliver. Therefore, I will be known as Tyler Oliver."   
Rita nodded. "You have all of his powers. You are the Green Morphin Warrior, and a mighty mage in your own right. Do not forget, though, that we will need each other to defeat the Power Rangers. Neither of us is capable of doing so alone."   
Tyler nodded. "I understand, my queen. What would you have me do?"   
Smiling evilly, Rita began to outline what she wanted of her new warrior. 

* * *

"And then Goldar just disappeared," Tommy finished. He stared up at Zordon expectantly. "Can you tell us anything about it?"   
Zordon frowned. "I'm afraid so, Rangers. The object that Goldar held is known as the Mirror of Night. It has the power to create warped, twisted reflections of whatever is caught in its glass."   
"Another evil Tommy?" Jason cried, exasperated. "Rita's stuck in a rut here!"   
"No doubt she wishes to make use of Tommy's Green Warrior powers, not to mention his phenomenal magical ability. This Dark Reflection contains none of the light in Tommy's heart. He is a being of pure evil."   
Tommy swallowed. "How can he use my Morphin Warrior powers? He's never held a Power Coin."   
"The powers are bonded to you physically. As your physical duplicate, he possesses all your powers, although his animal spirit is most likely different."   
"Isn't it about time you explained these powers in detail?" Skull asked, raising one eyebrow.   
"Indeed. The power of the Morphin Grid is divided, as you all know, into eight colors, red, yellow, blue, black, pink, green, white, and purple. What you may not know is that it is also divided into three levels. The three types of coins correspond to these levels. The Dinocoins are the coins of the Body level. Dinosaur spirits are strong, with a tendency to push directly through a problem. Jason, this is your type of spirit. The Dinosaur animals are Red Tyrannosaurus, Yellow Saber-toothed Tiger, Blue Triceratops, Black Mastodon, Pink Pterodactyl, Green Dragon, White Velociraptor, and Purple Wyvern.   
"Next is the level of Mind, the Thundercoins. The mind level is energetic. While the body is often hotheaded, the mind prefers to work around a problem. The Thunder animals are Red Dragon, Yellow Griffin, Blue Unicorn, Black Lion, Pink Firebird, Green Basilisk, White Tiger, and Purple Medusa. Zack, Kimberly, and Skull, these are your powers.   
"Finally, the Ninjacoins are the coins of spirit. Spirit prefers to let its enemies approach, and completely understand them before it attacks. Tommy, Billy, Trini, you are Spirit. The Ninja spirits are the Red Ape, Yellow Bear, Blue Wolf, Black Frog, Pink Crane, Green Panther, White Falcon, and Purple Chameleon.   
"Were the other Rangers to call on their Morphin Warrior powers, Rocky would most likely be a Red Dragon, while Adam would be a Black Frog, Katherine a Pink Crane, and Aisha a Yellow Griffin."   
Just then the alarm went off. The seven teens turned to see a duplicate of Tommy in the park, dressed in the uniform of a Green Warrior. Set into the chest of the outfit was a gold coin emblazoned with the symbol of the Dragon.   
"We've got trouble," Skull sighed.   
"More than that," replied Zordon. "There appears to be a barrier against Zeo Power around the park. The Rangers cannot teleport in to confront this new menace."   
"Just Zeo Power?" Jason asked thoughtfully.   
"Yes. Rita could not block Morphin energy, as the same energy powers her magic."   
"Then let's go kick some butt!" Zack cried.   
"Be very careful, Rangers. You are not as strong as you once were," Zordon cautioned.   
"We understand, Zordon," Jason reassured him. "It's morphin' time!"   
"Tigerzord!"   
"Mastodon!"   
"Pterodactyl!"   
"Triceratops!"   
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!"   
"Tyrannosaurus!" The Morphin Warriors teleported out in six flashes of light, leaving Tommy and Zordon behind, each remembering what had gone before.   
"Hey you! We're here to stop you!" Jason cried, pointing his sword at Tyler. The green-clad warrior simply chuckled.   
"The Morphin Warriors. How nice of you to stop by, especially since I wasn't expecting you. Tengas! Make our guests feel welcome." The oily birds attacked the six teens, and suddenly a free-for-all had broken loose.   
Thrusting, parrying, and generally causing chaos with his saber, Skull suddenly found himself face to face with Tyler. In the back of his mind, Skull began to panic, but quickly squashed it with the training he had received from Jason and Tommy over the past few months. Luckily, the battle had moved to swords, rather than fists. Although Tommy, and by extension Tyler, was deadly with a katana, Skull was in his element as a fencer. It was perhaps the one area of the fighting arts in which he surpassed any of the Rangers and Morphin Warriors.   
"You fight well, White Warrior," Tyler grunted.   
"Yeah, you too," Skull shot back, not letting up for a moment. "Hey, what's your name, anyway? I can't just call you "hey, you" while I'm kicking your butt."   
Tyler chuckled. "I am called Tyler Oliver, and I seriously doubt that you'll defeat me."   
"Yeah, well, anything's possible." The two men fenced for a while, neither one gaining the upper hand. Meanwhile, the other Morphin Warriors had managed to defeat the last of the Tengas, and now came to Skull's aid. Realizing that he was now outnumbered, Tyler broke off the attack.   
"You are a worthy opponent," he told Skull, bowing. "We shall finish this another day." His gaze swept across the other Morphin Warriors, coming to rest on Kimberly. "My lady," he smiled evilly. "I would not destroy you. Will you join me?"   
"No way!" Kimberly shot back, taking Skull's hand in her own. Tyler shrugged.   
"Perhaps we'll talk about this later."   
Skull stepped forward, putting himself between his girlfriend and Tyler. "Don't even think about it," he growled, sounding very tiger-like. Tyler just chuckled, teleporting out in a rush of green flame.   
"Let's go, guys," Jason sighed. "The fight's over, at least for now." In six streaks of light, they disappeared. 

* * *

The next morning, Skull woke up stiff and sore. As a Morphin Warrior, he had the same accelerated healing facility that the others had, but it simply healed the major damage. Bruises and stiffness still lingered, but the ribs that a Tenga had shattered were as good as new. Hopping out of bed and stretching, he headed downstairs to check the mail.   
"Hmm, bill, bill, Bill Clinton, Ed McMahon, letter from Aunt Edna, fruitcake from Aunt Millie- what, does she think it's Christmas? Newsweek, Biker Monthly, letter from- Bulk!" Hurriedly, Skull tore open the letter from the man who had been, until recently, his best and only friend. Quickly perusing its contents, his jaw hit the floor.   
"Bulk's coming back for a visit? Tomorrow! Oh brother," Skull groaned. Normally he would have been ecstatic to hear that his friend was coming for a visit, but not at the moment. "What am I going to do? I have that Green Warrior nut to deal with, trying to steal my girlfriend, I have my new psychic powers to get used to, and I do not have time to deal with this!" To punctuate his statement, a book fell from one of the shelves onto the floor with a definitive thump. "Oh, shut up," he sighed. His telepathic powers could be a pain, but at least he had some control over them. Even when he lost control, he usually wound up picking up on thoughts that were so close to the surface, they might as well have been spoken aloud. His telekinetic powers, on the other hand, were harder to get a hold of. They had a tendency to break free when he lost control of his temper, or when he was exasperated. In addition, they drew far more attention than his telepathic powers did. Sighing, Skull concentrated, picking the book back up and putting it on its shelf with a mental effort.   
The only thing to do about his problem was to tell the rest of the team about it, and hope that they could cover for him. In Skull's case, "the rest of the team" meant the other Morphin Warriors. Not that the Zeo Rangers weren't his friends, but there was an almost indefinable separation between them. Different powers, different teams, different ways of looking at things. Besides, they'd had their hands full with Mondo's goons lately. It was better for the Morphin Warriors to take on Rita, as their powers were better equipped to handle her.   
As Skull dressed and headed to the youth center, he thought idly about the strain of the recent battles. All the Zeos looked tired, but Tommy seemed to be the worst. He had barely managed to rebuild the energy the Mirror of Night had stolen from him when Mondo launched an almost constant stream of monsters. The Rangers were already discussing forcing Tommy to take a vacation from active duty while David handled the Red Ranger duties. The only thing stopping them at the moment was that Tommy wasn't likely to get any more rest off the team than on, due to his intense desire to be in the middle of things.   
Entering the youth center, Skull saw with no surprise that the Zeo Rangers were once again battling Mondo's latest monster downtown. "What's that?" he asked Jason in a low tone, coming to sit next to the other boy at the juice bar.   
"That," Jason sighed, "is called Kirinizer. It's based on the ancient Chinese unicorn, the Kirin."   
"Looks more like a dragon to me," Zack added, coming up behind them.   
Skull did not respond, watching the TV and wincing as the Red Battlezord took another hit. "Tommy's moving really slowly out there," he sighed. "I think the exhaustion is getting to him."   
"No kidding," Kimberly agreed. "If this keeps up, we're going to have to put David in for him."   
"Then we'll have to pack him off to Lita to have him deal with his feelings of failure," Billy snorted. The others regarded him curiously. "Don't get me wrong, I don't think Tommy's being melodramatic or a prima donna. I understand that this is very real, and it's not his fault. Its just that he's so delicate! Its hard to believe."   
"Rita and Zedd have both stomped all over his self-esteem numerous times," Trini reminded her friend. "If it weren't for Lita, Tommy'd probably be a raving lunatic by now. As it is, the therapy is gonna take a long time to make him better."   
"And Tyler isn't helping anything, either," Skull grumbled. Although the newest member of the team, Skull had quickly understood the way Tommy's dark side affected him. It was a very scary thing for the other boy to confront, because it was so dangerous. Even though Tommy had come to terms with the evil in himself, he was still frightened of it, and its capacity for destruction.   
"Oh, man, I almost forgot. I got a letter this morning. Bulk is coming to Angel Grove for a visit tomorrow. He's still one of my best friends. I have to spend time with him." Skull grimaced.   
Jason nodded understandingly. "Hey, we understand. We'll do our best to handle Tyler if he shows up. We'll only call you if it's a major emergency, okay?"   
Skull smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Jase. That would be a big help." 

* * *

The next day, Skull was waiting at Gate 59 at Angel Grove International. Leaning against a pillar, he scanned the people coming off the plane for Bulk's unmistakable silhouette. Finally he caught sight of his friend and began waving frantically. Bulk headed through the crowd of people with very little effort. When someone is the size of Bulk, crowds let them pass.   
"Man, look at you," Skull grinned, giving his friend the once-over. Bulk had dropped a number of pounds since arriving in France, and Skull now realized that the weight loss had continued since he left. Having also put on a great deal of muscle, the larger boy looked more like a football player than the football he had once resembled. Also, his hair was longer than he had worn it as a detective, but not as long as it had been when he was a punk. All in all, Bulk looked good.   
"Yeah, you look pretty good yourself, buddy," Bulk grinned back, gripping Skull by the shoulder. The two had kept in touch, but Bulk had somehow missed his friend growing muscles. Skull had always been in better shape than he looked, mainly from the fencing, but now he was toned and fit all over. "So, shall we go get my luggage?"   
The two headed for the baggage claim, talking of nothing in particular, making jokes about luggage ending up in Cleveland, and generally enjoying themselves. After collecting Bulk's luggage (and winding up in an argument with a 90 year-old woman), they headed out to the car.   
"Man," Skull sighed, shaking his head. "Can you believe that woman was a luggage thief?"   
"Or that there was a 60 year-old warrant on her head for the same thing? I tell you, Skull, this kind of thing could only happen to us. Remember how it used to be? We couldn't turn around without winding up in the middle of a monster attack."   
"Well, we weren't always blameless in that regard."   
"No, we did go looking for trouble way more often than we should have, but some of it was just plain bad luck. You have to agree to that." Bulk suddenly stopped dead. "That's your car?" he asked, dumbfounded. He had expected their old police motorcycle, he had expected Skull's father's rattletrap, he had expected a lot of things. A 1976 white Mustang in mint condition was not one of them.   
"Yeah," Skull grinned with unmistakable pride. "Ain't she a beaut?"   
"Skull, how did you afford her? These things go for twice what your house is worth."   
"I got her at a junkyard for two hundred bucks. She was dead. Nobody thought she'd ever run again. I got her towed home, and Billy, Tommy and I fixed her up."   
Bulk turned to look at his friend, astonishment written all over his features. "Billy, Tommy, and you?"   
"Yeah. Didn't you get that letter? The guys all came home when Jason got sick, and when I wound up apologizing, I sort of got adopted by the group." Skull suddenly grinned. "Gee, Bulky, if you didn't get that letter I sent you, then you didn't hear about my girlfriend."   
Bulk raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend? Who in her right mind would date you?"   
Skull grinned, not insulted in the least. "Well, she's pretty, she's smart, she's very short, and she can kick butt like nobody's business."   
"The Pink Ranger?"   
"She's not short anymore, remember? No, actually, it's someone even more unlikely. Kimberly Hart."   
Bulk started spluttering. "Kimberly Hart? The same Kimberly Hart that turned you down for a date every day of your life? The same one that started dating Tommy, who then threw you into trash cans for pestering his girlfriend for a date? That Kimberly Hart?"   
"Yup. That's the one. She broke up with Tommy, and I was there as a shoulder to cry on. Things kind of evolved from there."   
Bulk shook his head in wonder. "Kimberly Hart. Man, you've come up in the world. Is it serious?"   
"Very serious. I'd die for her." _Let's just hope I don't have to,_ Skull thought grimly. The specter of Tyler Oliver was still hanging in the back of his mind.   
Marveling at the change in his friend, Bulk shook his head again. Who would have thought that Skull and Kimberly would wind up in love? Bulk could tell by the look on his best friend's face that this was far beyond an adolescent crush. He wondered idly what could have drawn them so tightly together in such a short time. 

* * *

Up on the Moon, Rita was gloating over her latest accomplishment. Although her Green Warrior had been unable to carry the day, Rita had still realized that he was a valuable asset to her forces. "Divide and conquer," she mused.   
"Empress?" Tyler asked, entering the room. He had morphed back into civvies, and resembled Tommy a great deal. Only the frosty expression on his face was different.   
"I have decided on how we shall carry out this campaign, Tyler," Rita announced, turning to face him. "You will concentrate your attacks on the Morphin Warriors."   
Tyler cocked his head. "I'm afraid I do not understand, Empress. Isn't the greater threat that of the Zeo Rangers?"   
"Yes, but remember. Time is on our side. They will never launch an attack on us; it's against their code. Therefore, we pick the time and place of the battles. There are three major advantages to launching the attack against the Morphin Warriors instead of the Zeo Rangers. One, the Zeos are constantly under attack by Mondo and Gasket's forces. They're almost exhausted. If we destroy them, then the Morphin Warriors take their places, and they'll be completely rested. Take out the Warriors, and we're left with the tired, inefficient Rangers. Two, destroying the Morphin Warriors will incapacitate at least three of the Zeo Rangers. Jason Scott's death will break Jamie Zedden, Billy Cranston's demise will destroy Christina Collins, and the death of Kimberly Hart will certainly break Tommy Oliver in half. If you go the other way, only two of the Warriors will be incapacitated. Kimberly is far stronger than Tommy, especially since she doesn't feel protective of him, the way he feels for her. Third, always remember the Cardinal Rule of Villainy. Six heroes are a lot easier to kill than ten. It will be good practice for you."   
Tyler nodded. "I would like to spare the Pink Warrior, if I may. I have- other plans for her."   
Chuckling evilly, Rita acquiesced with a wave of her hand. "By all means. I'm sure you can handle her. We won't be taking them all on at once anyway. I want you to take them one at a time. Start with the White Warrior. He's had the least training and the least time to become accustomed to his powers."   
"Of course, my Empress. He's a nasty fighter with a sword, though. I'll just have to make sure he doesn't have the chance to use it." An evil smile crossed Tyler's face as he teleported out in a gout of green flame. 

* * *

"Morphin what?" Bulk asked incredulously. He and Skull were taking a walk through the park, and Skull was filling Bulk in on all the changes that had occurred in the ranks of the Power Rangers, third-hand, of course. Informing someone of your membership in the Power Rangers had gone from being a definite no-no to being on a need-to-know basis. As the old joke went, however, Bulk didn't need to know.   
"Morphin Warriors. There's six of them, and their powers seem to be based on the old versions, the ones with the White Ranger."   
"So you're saying there are ten Zeo Rangers, and all four of the new ones are girls, and there are now these six Morphin Whatsits?"   
"Warriors. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Unfortunately, Angel Grove's under attack from three sources now. There's the Machine Empire, like always, and then there's Prince Gasket. Remember him? He was the one that ordered us thrown in the dungeon."   
"Oh yeah, where we met Tritor. I remember. Sheesh, what a ride."   
"You're telling me. Well, Gasket apparently is also trying to take over the world on his own. Then there's Rita. Remember her? Well, she's back in business, too."   
"Geez, should we be in the park? If I remember correctly, that's where we always ran into those goons."   
"You two certainly do have the worst luck," a cold voice said behind them. Bulk and Skull turned to see Tyler, clad in his Green Warrior costume.   
"Bulk, that is a Morphin Warrior. Rita's evil Green Warrior, to be exact," Skull said slowly.   
"Deja vu," Bulk murmured. "All we need now is a bus." Skull chuckled, remembering how he and Bulk had nearly wound up being smashed up in a bus, thanks to Goldar, during the attack of the Evil Green Ranger.   
"Bulk, go back to the youth center. You'll be safe there," said Skull in a calm, level tone.   
"What about you?"   
"I'll be right behind you. Go!" Bulk took off, and Skull, watching him go, was almost bowled over by the ferocity of Tyler's attack. _He's trying to keep me from morphing,_ Skull thought breathlessly, dodging a strike from Tyler's katana. _Doing a pretty good job of it, too. I hope I can hold out until the others get here._

* * *

Bulk dashed into the youth center and stopped. He couldn't just yell out that there was a monster in the park, or he'd cause a panic. Suddenly, his eye fell on Jason and Trini, sitting at the juice bar making small talk and watching the Zeo Rangers battling a monster. Bulk squinted as the TV suddenly drew his attention. "Is that a giant walkie-talkie?" he asked, coming up behind the two teens.   
"Unfortunately," Jason sighed. "It's firing sonic blasts at the Rangers. Causing some major damage to downtown, too." Looking more closely at the person behind him, Jason gaped. "Bulk? Where's Skull? I thought he was hanging out with you."   
"He was. We were in the park and we got attacked by a monster. Actually, it wasn't a monster. It looked human, and wore a green outfit with a big gold coin in the chest."   
Jason and Trini traded grim looks. "Where's Skull?" Trini asked this time.   
"He said he was right behind me, but when I stopped running, he wasn't there. I think he might still be back there."   
Jason cursed. "Look, Bulk, stay here. We're going to go look for Skull. You stay here in case he comes here." The two teens rose and hurried out of the bar. Bulk sat down on a stool, thinking hard. Something was very familiar about the present situation, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. 

* * *

Skull was fighting a desperate battle, but he was definitely getting the worst of it. He was battered, bruised, and his body ached like nobody's business. Ripping up a handful of grass, he threw it at his enemy's eyes, temporarily blinding the other boy. Then he attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. It might not have been the most honorable move, but Skull was beyond worrying about fighting dirty. His only concern now was keeping his hide intact. He was too out of breath to morph, and Tyler wasn't giving him any time to catch it.   
"Hey you!" A voice called. Skull and Tyler looked up to see Jason and Trini, both morphed, standing atop a nearby hill. "Leave our friend alone!" Jason continued. "If you want a fight, take us on."   
"With pleasure," Tyler snarled.   
Skull didn't think twice. The second Tyler's attention left him, he took a deep breath and called "Tigerzord!" In a flash, he was dressed as the White Warrior.   
"Another time," Tyler shrugged, bowing. In a burst of green light, he disappeared.   
"Skull, are you all right?" Jason asked, coming over to his friend. "Bulk's worried sick about you."   
"I'm- fine," the exhausted teen panted. "I'll tell- Bulk that- we just- got separated." The three Morphin Warriors demorphed and headed back towards the youth center. 

* * *

Kimberly sighed, clutching her diary to her chest. She knew it was a move straight out of a '50's "chick flick," but she didn't care. She was so happy about the way her life was going. Even though she had broken up with Tommy, there were no hard feelings between them. Despite the pain both had felt at the end of their relationship, they had both realized that there was no true romance left between them. Now she was dating Skull, of all people, and she had never felt so wonderful. Even in the first days of her relationship with Tommy, she hadn't felt this bubbly, this full of life. Skull was just the type of person she was best suited for. He was not so protective as Tommy, never having felt truly responsible for her well-being. The fact that Kimberly had always been more than able to kick his butt in a fight had contributed to it. Instead, Skull trusted in the fact that she could protect herself. He was always there for her, but didn't consider her helpless.   
_Let's face it, Kimberly, when Tommy knew you, you *were* helpless,_ she thought wryly. She had never really been a fighter. She had been good at self-defense all her life, but in a real fight, she tended to rely on Trini and the guys to take the front. When they had become Rangers, she had let them run interference, preferring to pick her attacks when and where they would do the most damage. The pattern had continued throughout her time as a Ranger. All her life, she had had either Jason or Tommy to protect her.   
Then had come Florida. Suddenly she was fighting a very different kind of battle. Her enemies were homesickness and the confusion she felt at being away from Tommy. He had always been an emotional crutch for her, a support, just as Billy had been before him. With both of them gone, Kimberly had needed to rapidly reinvent herself to survive. That new toughness had moved into the physical aspect of her life, and now she could truly hold her own in a fight.   
The sound of teleportation behind her suddenly drew her out of her reverie. Turning, she saw Tyler teleport into her room. He was in civvies, and she would have thought he was Tommy except for the cold expression on his face, and the fact that his shirt was green, not red. Swallowing hard, she took a fighting stance. "What do you want?" she asked, with more bravado than she felt.   
"I want you," he smiled, advancing on her slowly. "You and I were made for each other, beautiful. You know it and I know it."   
"I know that I'm not even in love with Tommy anymore. I certainly have no feelings for you."   
"Perhaps I ought to change your mind." With that, he lunged for her, intending to knock her back onto her bed. However, Kimberly realized what he was doing and dodged, using her agility to get him between the bed and her. Frantically, she wished that she wasn't home alone.   
_If only I could morph! But I can't escalate a battle, _she thought frantically. Up until that moment, she hadn't realized how deeply the promises that she had made to Zordon had seeped into her soul. Instead of morphing, she picked up a table lamp and held it as if it were a baseball bat. "You might be stronger than I am, buddy, but you're not going to get what you're after without some serious pain," she panted, never taking her eyes off him. Tyler merely chuckled. He approached slowly, dodging a swing of the lamp as he got too close. Moving into her quickly, he stripped the lamp out of her grasp, and got a knee to the groin for his pains. He doubled over, but quickly came upright again, having Tommy's capacity to ignore pain. All the amusement was gone from his expression, however. A powerful backhand caught her across the face, splitting her lip and knocking her into the wall. As he advanced on her, murder in his features, Kimberly looked up with her blurred vision and lashed out with a foot, catching him in the same spot she had earlier. That was too much for him, and he teleported out.   
Struggling to her feet, Kimberly fought to stay conscious. She had hit her head on the wall hard, and knew she would be passing out soon. She had to get somewhere safe, so he couldn't come after her again. Staggering out of her room, she stumbled down the stairs and out the front door, heading for the only destination her muddled mind could think of. 

* * *

"So then the lady tried to pay us with a live chicken!" Skull grinned. Bulk whooped with laughter.   
"What did you do?"   
"Well, Detective Stone was polite about it, but he told her we didn't accept poultry as currency. She said fine, she'd pay us the price of the chicken if we'd buy it off her, but she didn't have any money right then. So we wound up accepting the chicken and selling it to somebody else for the same amount of money."   
Bulk shook his head. He and Skull had been swapping stories of their various vocations for an hour, and they had laughed so hard that they had almost fallen out of their chairs. Suddenly a knock at the door interrupted them. Frowning, Skull rose to his feet. "Now who could that be?" he wondered.   
Opening the door, he was shocked to see Kimberly outside, practically falling into his arms the minute he opened the door. He bit back a gasp at her face. It was swollen and puffy, and one of her lips was split. Also, she was sporting a bruise that would turn into one heck of a shiner soon.   
"Kim, what happened?" he asked, helping her over to the couch.   
"Tyler- my room. Tried to- I fought him-" Her voice faded in and out, worrying Skull, who couldn't get the whole story. He understood just enough to frighten him badly. Looking up, he saw Bulk standing in the kitchen doorway, a thunderstruck expression on his face.   
"Don't just stand there, get a cold compress!" Skull barked. His friend scurried to obey, and Skull turned back to the badly beaten girl lying on his couch. "Come on, Kim, talk to me. Don't fall asleep. I don't know much about first aid, but somewhere I heard that sleeping on a concussion is bad."   
"Don't have a concussion," she muttered.   
"Yeah, right. I have to get you to the Power Chamber," he muttered.   
"The what?" Bulk asked, bringing out the compress. "Why not the hospital?"   
Skull shook his head. "Too vulnerable." _Besides,_ he thought privately, _she'll heal fast enough that the doctors will become suspicious._ "I don't think it's as bad as it looks. I'm gonna take her to a friend of mine. You wait here."   
"When you get back, will you tell me what's going on?" Bulk asked seriously.   
"When I figure it out, Bulky, you'll be the first to know." Picking Kimberly up in his arms, he carried her outside, checked for onlookers, and teleported out. 

* * *

"Zordon, I need a table or something!" Skull shouted, appearing in the Power Chamber.   
"Ai yi yi!" Alpha cried, teleporting one out of the storage chamber. "What happened to Kimberly?"   
"I don't know, Alpha," Skull said grimly, laying Kim down on the table, "but I intend to find out."   
After running a scanner across Kimberly's still form, Alpha determined that she needed only rest, and would wake up soon, thanks to her enhanced healing. After almost ten minutes, she began to stir. "Mm, where am I?" she asked groggily, struggling to sit up.   
"You're in the Power Chamber," Skull replied, helping her. "You think you can tell me what happened to you now?"   
Kimberly looked at him. His eyes were warm and concerned, and there was an expression in them that said that he had an idea of what he was going to hear. "He didn't get the chance," she assured him. "I kneed him once and kicked him a second time. He got pissed off and knocked me into a wall. That's all. He didn't really hurt me."   
"Well, we have another problem," Skull told her. "Bulk saw you stagger into my house. He saw your face and how bad off you were. He's waiting for an explanation, and your face is already healing. What do we tell him?"   
Kimberly bowed her head. "The truth? I can't think of a story that he'll buy."   
Skull sighed, nodding. "Zordon?"   
"It is at your discretion, Kimberly, Skull. If you believe that Bulk can be trusted with your secret, then I have no objections."   
"We can trust Bulk," Skull said with conviction. "We've both grown up. He'll keep the secret."   
"Okay," Kim sighed. "Let's go." In two flashes of light, they teleported out.   
As it turned out, they didn't have to tell Bulk much of anything. As the two of them walked through the front door, the other boy was waiting for them, sitting calmly on a couch with his arms folded. "Kimberly, you're looking much better," Bulk nodded. The bruises on her face would take time to fade completely, but the split lip had almost totally healed.   
"Um, yeah. Listen, Bulk, you're probably wondering what happened to me, right?"   
"Just what monster did that to you. The two of you are Power Rangers, right?" As Skull and Kimberly gaped at their friend, Bulk continued. "I used to be a detective too, remember. Skull, when we got separated, Jason and Trini ran out of there like bats out of hell. I figured the three of you probably took care of that goon in the park. I can't think of any other reason you wouldn't want to take Kimberly to the hospital, and I've suspected for a long time that the Power Rangers had the ability to heal quickly. This just confirms it. Now, seeing as the Zeo Rangers have been on TV when you've been around me, I'm willing to bet you two are some of those Morphin Whatevers."   
"Warriors," Skull corrected automatically. "Yes, we are." Quickly he outlined the events of his power infusion and of the struggle with Tyler Oliver. Bulk was appalled.   
"He's an evil version of Tommy? With these Morphin Warrior powers? Man, that's bad news."   
Kimberly snorted. "You're telling me. The creep practically beat the snot out of me. He's not going to give up, either." She shivered, thinking of the expression in Tyler's eyes. Skull put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close.   
"I won't let him hurt you, Kimberly. I'll take him apart with my bare hands first," he promised. He sounded so sincere that both his friends believed him implicitly. 

* * *

A few days later, the entire group was hanging out in the juice bar, watching the Zeo Rangers battle yet another of Mondo's creations. This one, called Soapatron, fired bursts of a soapy liquid at the Rangers, making it difficult for them to keep their footing. As Red Ranger absorbed yet another solid hit, all seven teens winced.   
"Man, Tommy's taking a real beating," Bulk said quietly.   
Billy nodded. He was still having a little trouble adjusting to the new Bulk and Skull, but he tried hard not to show it. "Yeah, he's really slowing down. I think we're going to have to pull him out."   
"You're right, Billy," Jason sighed. "Is it unanimous with the Morphin Warriors?" The entire group nodded reluctantly. "Then we'll talk to the others after this battle and see what they say." Suddenly, his communicator toned. The six Morphin Warriors and Bulk moved out into the hall, where they answered the page.   
"Yes, Zordon?" Jason asked.   
"Rita has sent down her latest monster, an animated skeleton known as Skeletiger."   
"Skele-tiger?" Skull swallowed hard. The thought of facing a perversion of his spirit animal made him decidedly uncomfortable.   
"I am afraid so, Skull. Also, a number of Tengas have accompanied it. You must hurry, before they destroy the warehouse district."   
"We're on it," Jason responded. "Bulk, wait for us here, okay?" Bulk nodded. "It's morphin time!"   
"Tigerzord!"   
"Mastodon!"   
"Pterodactyl!"   
"Triceratops!"   
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!"   
"Tyrannosaurus!" In a flash, the six teenagers disappeared. Bulk turned to re-enter the juice bar and stopped dead. Ernie was watching them go with a concerned look on his face.   
"You knew?" Bulk asked, astounded.   
"Oh, sure. I've known for a long time. Remember Zack's birthday? Well, while we were setting up, I mentioned the Power Rangers, and Jason told me that he'd heard they were aliens from space. Jason's hardly the type to spread rumors like that, or to believe them, so he must have been covering for someone. Once I realized that, I noticed how often they'd race out of here without eating what they'd paid for, and I followed them into the hall one day. I saw them morph. Yeah, I've known ever since- oh, I'd say since Tommy became Green Ranger. I'm not *that* oblivious to what goes on in my juice bar." Grinning, Ernie headed back to his work, leaving Bulk to stare in thunderstruck silence. 

* * *

"Look at this place!" Jason exclaimed, surveying the damage that the Tengas had already inflicted. "Come on, guys, let's stop these birdbrains from making any more of a mess."   
The six Morphin Warriors threw themselves into the fight, knocking Tengas in every direction. Billy and Skull, working together, were so caught up in the battle that they didn't notice that they were being herded away from the group and into an old abandoned warehouse. Suddenly, Skull looked up from his fight. "Billy, we've got to get out of here! One false move, and this place will supply Angel Grove with toothpicks for the rest of the century!"   
"Too late, Warriors," Skeletiger growled, appearing at the door. Skull saw with a sick feeling that the tiger skeleton was composed of bleached white bones that were themselves striped with black.   
"Rita deliberately made a mockery of my spirit animal," he muttered. "This is personal."   
"White Tiger Thunderbolt!" Skeletiger roared. A ball of energy left its empty ribcage, shattering the main supports for the warehouse. Skull and Billy heard the floor groaning beneath them. They exchanged a glance.   
"Uh-oh," they groaned in unison. Then the floor dropped out beneath them and they crashed into darkness, most of the warehouse following them. 

* * *

"Billy?" Skull called, swimming slowly to consciousness. "You alive, man?"   
"I don't think dead people have headaches."   
"I know they don't wear plaid," Skull smiled back, pulling himself out from under a few timbers. By incredible chance and his Morphin Warrior healing abilities, he had survived the fall, mainly because the majority of the timbers had not hit him. A cursory glance in the gloom of the cellar showed that Billy had been as lucky.   
"Holy shit," Billy whistled, looking up. Skull had to admit that it was an impressive sight. Timbers were twisted around one another, forming an impenetrable cap over the cellar where they were. A few holes allowed light and air in, but were too far above them to offer an escape route. "I've got some bad news. We can't teleport out. All the timbers are blocking the signal. The wood kind of interferes.   
"This is not good," Skull cried, gingerly sitting on a nearby timber. Billy sank down next to him. The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of battle going on above them. "Billy?" Skull asked suddenly. "I want to apologize for all the rotten things I did to you when we were younger. I was a total jerk. I'm really sorry."   
Billy waved Skull's apology away with the back of his hand. "Don't mention it. It's forgotten."   
"Is it? I wouldn't forget. I remember being seven years old and being picked on by everybody. Well, everybody except you. I was skinny, I was awkward, and I had a funny name. Then I met Bulk. He was actually nice to me, probably because he understood what I was going through. He was fat and clumsy, and his name was Farkas, for Pete's sake. We formed a friendship, and started picking on other people to feel bigger. It was stupid, I know. I guess my point is that I never have forgotten what people did to me. I'm finally able to forgive them, and put it behind me, but I haven't forgotten, and I never will. I find it hard to believe that you've forgotten, either."   
Billy regarded the other with astonishment. "I guess you're right. I have forgiven you and Bulk, I really have. I'm not bitter or anything anymore. It's just- I'm having a hard time adjusting to the fact that you're not like that anymore. I keep waiting for the two of you to pull one of your old tricks, even though I know that you won't."   
"I want to tell you something, Billy. The reason I always picked on you as a kid wasn't just because you were the only person who couldn't beat me to a pulp. I was also jealous, very jealous of you. I mean, you were a klutz, you were a bit of a nerd- no offense, and you had no idea how to relate to people. I was better at that stuff than you were. Still, you had the friends, Jason and Trini, and as time went on, there was Kim and Zack, too. I was so jealous. The main reason I picked on you was that I wanted to be you."   
"You did?" Billy could hardly believe his ears. No one had ever really wanted to be in his shoes before. It was a new experience for the shy young man.   
"Oh, yeah. That's one of the reasons I've been so glad to have you as a friend. I thought I'd never fit in, but I do. I'm glad we've been friends, even if it does end like this."   
"I'm glad I've been your friend too, Skull." They sat in silence for a while longer, then Skull got to his feet.   
"Billy, you see that one hole? Do you think it's big enough for a man?"   
"I guess so. Why?"   
"If we could climb some of these timbers, we could get out."   
"Skull, we'd need all sorts of gear to climb these timbers. We can't do it."   
"Oh yes we can. Look, Billy. You guys treat your Morphin Warrior powers as half-strength Ranger Powers, right?"   
"Yeah, so?"   
"Well, there's more to them than that. When you had your coins, you tapped the power filtered through two sources, your coin and your spirit animal. Now you have the power directly, with only the spirit animal to give it shape. The powers are different! We can become our spirit animal, at least for a time."   
"How do you know all this?" Billy asked warily.   
"I'm not sure; I just know. I think it has something to do with a cross between my psychic powers and the fact that I've never been a full Ranger. I'm not used to thinking of it that way. Look, you're a telepath too, right?"   
"Right."   
"Look into my head. We'll do this together."   
Sighing, Billy closed his eyes and reached out a tendril of thought to Skull's mind. Once there, he read what Skull was trying to get across. It was hard to describe in words, but in thoughts it was crystal clear. Reaching down into themselves, the two boys opened doors that had until that time remained locked. Suddenly a howl burst from Billy's throat, followed by a tiger's roar from Skull. Their forms were swallowed up in flares of bright light. Billy glowed blue, while Skull shone white. In the center of the lights, you could see the black outlines of their bodies. Suddenly the outline began to change, and when the light cleared, a silver-blue wolf and a white tiger stood in the basement.   
_Pretty cool, huh?_ Skull sent to his friend.   
_Most definitely,_ Billy returned. _Come on, let's go._ With their new agility and claws, the two scrambled up timbers that now made a makeshift ladder. Reaching the hole in the cap, they surveyed the battlefield. The Morphin Warriors were pinned down by Tengas, while Skeletiger headed off towards the city proper.   
_Oh no you don't!_ Skull called mentally, forgetting that the monster could not hear him. He took off towards the retreating monster, Billy close at his heels. Catching up with it, he launched himself at the skeletal tiger, catching it a nasty swipe to the side of the face. Soon the two were going at it tooth and nail, literally.   
Billy shook his head. _Skull! Back off, and let's take him together. Strategy, remember? We're not animals!_   
_Right Billy,_ Skull responded, pulling off. _I just got carried away for a moment._ The two of them began circling their adversary, darting in for a swipe there, a bite there. Skeletiger was definitely fighting a losing battle. Suddenly the sound of teleportation drew Skull's attention. Tyler, in Green Warrior guise, had teleported into the battlefield and was heading toward Kimberly.   
_I don't think so, creep!_ he thought viciously. _Billy, can you finish things here? I need to go take care of Tyler!_   
_Don't worry about me,_ the wolf responded. _I've got things under control here._   
Assured that his friend was taking care of things, Skull took off after Tyler, moving at a tiger's fastest pace. Tyler, intent on taking Kimberly by surprise, never saw him coming. 160 pounds of angry tiger slammed directly into the small of his back, knocking him flat on his face. As Tyler rolled to face his assailant, Skull morphed back into his White Warrior form, summoning his saber as he did so. "Get up and fight," he said coldly. "We've got a score to settle."   
Summoning his katana, Tyler leapt to his feet and bowed. "As you wish." The two of them moved into their attack, and the air was instantly filled with the sounds of clashing steel.   
Meanwhile, Billy was having a few problems of his own. Skeletiger was much better able to hold its own against one attacker, and Billy had taken a few nasty blows. In addition, nothing he dished out seemed to faze the tiger for a minute. _Maybe I should just bury it under about a hundred different trees,_ he mused wryly.   
Suddenly an image flashed into his head. He saw the six Ninja Rangers in a strange forest. They were clad in multi-colored versions of Tommy's Green Warrior uniform. _Ninjetti_, a voice in his mind whispered. _There's that word again,_ he frowned. _What the hell is a "Ninjetti?"_   
In his vision, Tommy was perched on the back of a living skeleton rather like this one, except that one was a large dinosaur. Reaching out, Tommy pulled a bone from the creature's neck, causing the entire thing to fall apart. The vision faded, but it left Billy with an idea.   
_Worth a shot,_ he mused. Launching himself up into the air, he wound up landing on the back of the Skeletiger. Reaching down, he grasped the vertebrae in his jaws, and pulled. Sure enough, the minute the spine was severed, all the magical life went out of Skeletiger. The bones collapsed to the ground and disappeared.   
Morphing back into Blue Warrior form, he scanned the battlefield. Skull seemed to be holding his own against Tyler, so Billy reluctantly threw himself back into the battle with the Tengas. Slowly but surely, the Morphin Warriors were turning the tide.   
For his part, Skull's battle was turning quickly. He was filled with anger over what Tyler had tried to do, to Kimberly and to the rest of the team. He was also angry with the Dark Reflection for existing, for screwing up his visit with Bulk, and adding one more stress to the pile weighing Tommy down. He was fighting like a berserker, and Tyler had no defense against him.   
With a powerful strike, Skull knocked Tyler's katana out of his hand. A swift kick knocked the other boy down onto his back. Looking up at Skull, Tyler saw the tip of Skull's saber presented at his throat.   
"I should skewer you right here," Skull said, his voice shaking with anger. "There's no good in you, not the way there was in Tommy. And what you tried to do to Kim-" He cut off, shaking his head. "I should kill you, but I won't. I'm not like you. Go back to Rita and tell her she's failed again. Tell her she'll keep failing until she gives up and goes away." Stepping back, he allowed Tyler to get to his feet.   
Retrieving his katana, the other boy bowed. "This is not forgotten, White Warrior. We will meet again." In a rush of green flame, he teleported out.   
Sending his sword back into its dimensional pocket, Skull sighed. Turning, he saw Jason and the other Morphin Warriors watching him seriously. "How long were you guys there?" he asked quietly.   
"Long enough," Jason replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good choice, man."   
Skull shook his head. "Whatever. Let's go." The six of them teleported out. 

* * *

"I have failed you, my Empress," Tyler admitted, bowing his head.   
"Not at all," Rita responded, looking at the Earth. "You are still alive, and I still have the Mirror of Night. The game is not over, not by a long shot." 

* * *

"I'm really going to miss you, Bulk," Skull sighed. The seven teens were at the gate for Bulk's plane, waiting for the boarding call.   
"Yeah, right. Look at all the friends you've got here," Bulk grinned. "Seriously, I'm going to miss you too, buddy. We'll keep in touch, though. I promise."   
"We're all going to miss you, Bulk," interjected Jason. "I'm sorry the other guys couldn't be here to see you off, but they're working. You know how it is."   
"Oh, yeah, Jason, I know," Bulk grinned. "You make sure Tommy doesn't burn himself out, all right?"   
"We'll be taking him off duty after this battle," Jason replied. "It's gotten too bad for him."   
Bulk sighed. "Well, I'm going to miss you all, too. You be careful. The world needs you." He looked up as the stewardess announced the boarding call. "Oops, that's me, gotta go." Flashing one last grin at them, he hurried for the door.   
"Skull, you okay?" Kimberly asked, slipping her hand into his.   
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Kim, I'm fine. I'm just remembering, that's all. I'm just so glad to have had so many great friends, and not to have to choose between them."   
"Come on," Jason smiled, "let's go to the park. I feel like a picnic." The six of them headed out of the airport, Skull turning back to wave at the loading plane once more before they left. 

The End... for now 

  
  



	2. Dark Mirror 2: Through a Glass Darkly

_**Disclaimer:** Saban owns 'em, not me. Yada yada yada. Finster's history is from Katie's fanfic series, The Forthcoming, Subordination, Garren's Release, and Betrayal. This fanfic rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. Some violence, some cursing. Some scenes and implications may not be suitable for younger readers. This story is set in the "Personality Conflicts" series, after Tiger, Tiger.___

**Dark Mirror Two: Through a Glass Darkly**

  


Things were quiet in Angel Grove on this Sunday morning. The city had seen no more appearances by Rita's evil Green Warrior since the defeat of the Skeletiger a few days ago, and King Mondo's attacks had decreased in frequency. As Zordon and Jason had surmised, the Machine King's plan had been to play off of Tommy's weakness, a side effect of Rita's use of the Mirror of Night to create her Green Warrior. When the Rangers had forced Tommy to take a vacation, the strategy had no longer been effective, and Mondo had been forced to once more conserve his robots.   
Tommy Oliver was sitting out on his front stoop, watching the minimal traffic passing by and basking in the early-morning sunlight. Suddenly a shadow interrupted his sunbathing. Looking up, he saw Jamie Zedden grinning down at him.   
"Mind if I have a seat?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she plopped down next to him. "So, how you doing?"   
"I'm better. This forced vacation was a good idea, no matter how much I fought it. I'm glad Zordon made me take a rest."   
"Well, we miss you, but David's doing a great job. He's a born leader, just like you. That isn't to say that he couldn't use some experience, but for the most part, he's holding his own."   
Tommy smiled. "Yeah. Sometimes I think I should just give the Red powers to David permanently and join the Morphin Warriors. David has to fill in for me so often, he's more the Red Ranger than I am."   
"One thing, though. David doesn't want to be a Power Ranger full time. He doesn't mind filling in for you, but like everyone else, he feels you're the best leader for the team."   
Nodding, Tommy considered what she had said- and a few other things. Jamie was his best friend, really. He and Jason had drifted apart since the other boy had become the leader of the Morphin Warriors. Now, Jamie was really the person who understood him. Both were only half-human, both were the children of former enemies of the Power Rangers, and both had a tendency to take the world on their shoulders. In some ways, Jamie understood him better than Jason ever had. He supposed some people thought it was strange or suspicious that his best friend was a girl, but no one who knew Tommy and Jamie thought anything of it. Both Jason, Jamie's boyfriend, and Lillian, Tommy's girlfriend, knew of the friendship and approved of it. Despite the strength of Jamie and Tommy's bond, there was nothing romantic about it, nothing Jason and Lillian found threatening. Jamie and Tommy simply understood each other, far better than anyone else could.   
"Jame, you know you're my best friend, right?" he asked suddenly.   
"Yeah, I think I figured it out," she grinned. They might have said more, but suddenly a flock of Tengas teleported in, completely surrounding the pair. "This is not good," Jamie quipped, bouncing to her feet. Tommy quickly followed, and the two of them began knocking Tengas left and right.   
"Fire Storm!" Tommy called, raising one hand above his head. Suddenly, green fire fell from the sky, landing on most of the Tengas. The birds hurriedly disappeared in a hail of burnt feathers.   
Jamie, meanwhile, was using her energy absorption powers to incapacitate the birds, even though it meant she had to grab them by the beaks to get the proper connection. With the energy she stole from one Tenga, she'd blast five more, causing a great deal of damage.   
"Very impressive," Goldar laughed, teleporting in to stand before Jamie. "Unfortunately, your tricks will not work on me!" He caught her across the face with a vicious backhand, knocking her to the ground, temporarily stunned. Then he raised up an artifact that Tommy found very familiar- the Mirror of Night.   
"NO!" he cried, throwing himself towards Goldar. Six Tengas caught him, holding him fast. A seventh began pummeling him unmercifully, keeping him from the concentration necessary to cast a spell.   
The mirror caught Jamie's reflection. A flash of purple, and the spell was done. Tucking the mirror away, Goldar raised his sword high, ready to bring the blade down on Jamie, who was still lying stunned on the ground.   
"Hellfire!" Tommy screamed, focusing around his pain. A wave of emerald fire swept out from his body, obliterating the Tengas holding him and catching Goldar in the back. The flames heated up the monster's gold armor quickly and painfully. With an agonized scream, Goldar teleported out.   
Tommy quickly stumbled to the fallen girl's side, ignoring the burned grass and heaps of feathers, ignoring the weakness the Hellfire spell had caused, thinking only of Jamie. Even as he reached her, her eyes opened and she stretched. "Oh, man," Jamie groaned. "I feel like I just went through a nuclear war." Sitting up, she blinked. "Tommy? What happened to your lawn?" 

* * *

"Goldar used the Mirror of Night on Jamie," Tommy told Zordon with a sigh. "Looks like Rita isn't satisfied with just one Dark Reflection."   
"I don't understand, though, Zordon. Why me? I don't have any Morphin powers, and the reflection can't use my Zeo powers. What would Rita want a duplicate of me for?"   
"Jamie, you and Tommy work well together. It is only reasonable to suppose that your reflections will do the same. Also, there is one Power coin left, the coin of purple. You are the only one who might be able to wield it."   
"She's going to make my duplicate into a Purple Ranger?"   
"No, not exactly. You see, the Power Coins were designed to work together, to form a team. For this reason, the Coins cannot work if there is only one in existence. Now that six coins are destroyed and the Green Coin is defunct, the Purple Coin cannot be used to create a Ranger."   
"Then what does Rita want it for?" Trey asked. The other Zeo Rangers had been called in as soon as Tommy and Jamie had appeared in the Power Chamber.   
"While the Coin cannot make a Ranger, it can make a connection to the Morphin Grid."   
"She's going to make Jamie's duplicate into a Purple Warrior," Adam realized.   
"Exactly. The colors of Purple and Green have always worked well together. Sometimes they have been lovers, sometimes friends, but there has always been a bond of incredible strength between them. The thought of the power of such a bond in Rita Repulsa's hands is truly frightening," Zordon told them grimly. The Zeo Rangers fell silent at that, contemplating the consequences of these events. 

* * *

"Tyler, I'd like you to meet your new ally," Rita smirked. "Tyler Oliver, may I present Terry Zedden, duplicate of Jamie Theresa Zedden."   
Tyler bowed. Terry nodded in acknowledgment. Her eyes roamed up and down his well-built physique appreciatively. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tyler," Terry told him. Her voice was low, lower than Jamie's clear alto, and exuded sensuality.   
"The pleasure is all mine," he replied, his gaze wandering over her form. Terry was already dressed in her Purple Warrior uniform, a one-piece jumpsuit that, while it wasn't skin-tight or skimpy, still managed to hint at a dynamite figure underneath. Set into the center of her chest was a golden coin bearing the symbol of the Wyvern.   
Rita watched the two of them with some surprise. She had not quite expected her two Morphin Warriors to be so interested in each other. Tommy and Jamie were close, but there was certainly no element of physical attraction in the mix. In fact, the two of them considered themselves almost related, because Rita was his half-sister and Zedd was her father. There was no genetic relationship, however, and the family element was all in the way they thought of each other. Tyler and Terry, on the other hand, did not think of each other as family, and were certainly not related. Rita smiled to herself. She should have expected that with every other aspect of Tommy and Jamie's personalities coming out of the mirror twisted and warped, their bond should have changed its aspect as well.   
While Rita was thinking, Terry and Tyler had finished checking each other out, and were evidently pleased with what they saw. "With your permission, Empress," Tyler turned to Rita and bowed, "I would like to show Terry the pocket dimension where our quarters have been set up." Rita had put Tyler there when it became obvious he wouldn't fit in the Winnebago. Rather like the Dimension of Doom, this pocket dimension was just a large room that could be entered from almost anywhere. Tyler had furnished it to his liking, with a dresser, a bookcase, and a large double bed. The bed had been in anticipation of capturing Kimberly, but Terry was beginning to look like a much better option.   
"Of course," Rita smiled. "You'll find that you have a few more- areas in your dimension now. I added on when I realized that we'd have a new arrival." Rita ignored the fact that Tyler and Terry would probably not be using any more of the rooms, at least not for sleeping arrangements. It wasn't any of her business, after all. As they disappeared, she sighed. Had she ever been that young? She couldn't remember. 

* * *

"I can't shake the feeling that something is going to come down on us, hard," Jamie sighed. She, Tommy and Jason were walking through the park, discussing the recent events. The three of them were extremely close, and often spent a lot of time together. Today it was just the three of them. After their previous experiences with the Mirror of Night, the other Rangers had thought it a good idea to leave Jamie to talk with the two people who understood her best.   
"No kidding," Tommy agreed. "I've been having flare-ups in my aura all day." As if to illustrate his point, his magical aura suddenly shone bright green for a second, and then faded to nothingness. "At least no one's seen it but you guys and my family." Tommy's mother had been a bit startled when her son started glowing at the breakfast table, but ever since the events of Master Vile's visit, his parents had known of his status as a Ranger. It had been rather hard to faze them since.   
"I almost wish something would happen," sighed Jason. "I don't like sitting around waiting." Suddenly, a flock of Tengas appeared around them, accompanied by Tyler and Terry, both in Morphin Warrior uniforms.   
"Be careful what you wish for, Jason," Terry chuckled. "Tengas, get them! Remember to take them alive, though. We have plans for them."   
"There's too many of them!" Jamie cried. "We have to morph!"   
"Right!" the boys chorused.   
"Dragonzord!"   
"Tyrannosaurus!"   
In a flash, Jamie's sword appeared in her hand. "Zeo Shard- mmf!" She was unable to finish, as Tyler threw a ball of energy that turned into a gag, wrapping over her mouth. A blast from Terry's staff stunned Tommy and Jason, knocking them into a pair of conveniently placed trees. Then, with a gesture, Tyler snagged Jamie with a lasso of energy. Pulling her against him, he placed the tip of his katana at her throat, just as Tommy and Jason staggered to their feet.   
"One false move, and the lady is shish kebab," Tyler chuckled. Tommy's hands went up immediately. After a second, Jason followed suit. "Very good. Now, demorph." In a pair of red and green flashes, Tommy and Jason were once again in civvies.   
"Excellent," Terry purred. "Tengas, transport them to our pocket dimension." The Tengas grabbed Tommy and Jason roughly by the shoulders, and the entire group disappeared. 

* * *

Jamie struggled with her bonds, but to no avail. Tyler had been careful to transmute the energy rope into a steel cable before removing his katana from its position by her throat. Despite the escape tricks she had learned, and despite her energy absorption abilities, she had been unable to free herself. On the other side of the room, Jason was struggling with his own bonds, although they were far less extensive than her own. Only his wrists and ankles were tied, but that was enough to immobilize him. Tyler had disappeared with Tommy the moment they had arrived, and Terry had left as well. The worst part was, Jamie reflected, she couldn't talk to Jason. Tyler's gag muffled sound very effectively.   
"Enjoying ourselves?" Terry grinned, re-entering the room. Jason's eyes popped, and Jamie couldn't blame him. Terry's crop top and short shorts were just this side of decent, highlighting her excellent figure, and covering only those places that really needed it. Looking down at her own chest, Jamie raised an eyebrow. Hmm, I didn't know I had such a good figure. I'll have to remember that, next time I go shopping.   
Her attention was drawn sharply to the other side of the room as Terry knelt next to Jason and began running her fingers through his hair. Jason struggled, but was unable to get away from her. "Aww, what's the matter, Jason?" she cooed. "Don't you like that? It sure looks as if you do," she chuckled, eyeing him appraisingly. "I like my men tall, dark, and handsome, you know."   
"I'm sure you like your men, period," Jason shot back. Terry simply laughed.   
"True enough. That's not the issue here, though. The question is, do you like me? I can make things- very pleasant for you, if you join Rita's servants."   
Terry's hands had been roaming all over Jason's arms and chest as she talked, and his reaction was evident in the strained tone of his voice. "And Tyler? Looks to me like you two have a thing going."   
She shrugged. "He doesn't mind sharing. After all, it's not like I'll be the only one for him."   
Jason shook his head. "Not interested."   
"Then I'll just have to change your mind," she replied with mock sweetness. Leaning over, she kissed him, long and hard. Across the room, Jamie watched as Jason's struggles died. Soon, he was leaning into the kiss with all his strength. As Terry sat up, pleased with herself, Jamie could see that Jason's eyes were completely blank, with no life or intelligence to them whatsoever.   
Suddenly the gag and cable that bound her evaporated. Springing to her feet, Jamie fell into a fighting stance. "You want my boyfriend? You're going to have to fight me for him," Jamie spat. Terry gestured lazily.   
"Please. I certainly don't have to prove myself fighting against my duplicate. I merely think it will be more entertaining to watch you if you have a fighting chance."   
"Watch me?" Jamie cocked her head to one side warily.   
A catlike smile on her lips, Terry turned to Jason. "Jason, you'll do what I tell you to, won't you?"   
"Yes, Lady," he droned. The lack of emotion in his voice scared Jamie more than anything else that had happened.   
Terry jerked her head at Jamie. "Kill her." Jason started toward Jamie, his blank eyes fixed on her. Jamie maintained her stance, circling warily as Jason approached her. Suddenly his hand flashed out, the blow catching her on the side of the face, knocking her into a wall. Staggering to her feet, Jamie turned to face Jason.   
"Kim or Trini would probably give you the big limpid eyes and say they couldn't fight you," she spat. "I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stand here and let you kill me. You hurt me, I hurt you worse. That's the way it's always been." Jason said nothing, simply continued to advance on her, his eyes blank and his face impassive. 

* * *

Tommy had found himself alone in a room with Tyler. The instant they had arrived, Tyler had released him and then morphed back into civvies himself. Now they were nearly identical, two men distinguishable only by the difference in their clothes. Sizing each other up, they circled like cats in disputed territory.   
"What do you want?" Tommy asked finally.   
Tyler smiled coldly. "A challenge. I intend to defeat you, without my Morphin Warrior powers. Just you and me, skill to skill and magic to magic."   
"You're on," replied Tommy. The two regarded each other for another long moment, and then the fight began.   
Tyler attacked with a lightning-fast crescent kick to Tommy's head, but Tommy ducked it by dropping into a split. Then he retaliated with a fist to the groin. However, Tyler pivoted out of the way and snapped a front kick at Tommy's head. Tommy rolled away from Tyler's kick, leaping upright.   
They circled a bit more, and then green fire leapt from Tyler's hand. Three large snakes, seemingly cobras, appeared on the ground, slithering towards Tommy. Concentrating, Tommy cast his own fire, which coalesced into one very large boa constrictor. The cobras struck at it, but to no avail. The constrictor, immune to the cobra venom, simply squeezed each cobra to death in turn.   
The fight continued in this way, magical and physical attacks interspersed. While as mages, Tommy and Tyler were equally matched, Tommy was getting the worst of the physical battle from his more ruthless double. He had received a black eye and split lip from a series of strikes to his face, and two violent kicks had almost certainly shattered a couple ribs. Still, he refused to surrender.   
"With you gone, there will be little to stop me from entering the Power Rangers as you, and taking what I want," Tyler gloated, standing over Tommy. The other boy was on his hands and knees, fighting his way through the waves of pain that surrounded his mind. "No one will know that you didn't survive this encounter. I'll use your position to destroy the Rangers from within. Don't worry, though; I won't kill them all. Kimberly, Katherine, and that lovely girlfriend of yours will all be well taken care of."   
A flare of rage shot through Tommy's mind, instantly clearing his senses. In the back of his mind, he could hear the voice of his sensei, back in Los Angeles, from when he had been no more than ten. _Use your emotions, Tommy. They are a source of strength to you. Use them, do not let them use you._ Grabbing hold of his anger, Tommy used it to force himself to his feet.   
"I won't- let you hurt them. I won't let you!" he forced out between clenched teeth. "I'll kill you first!"   
Tyler was taken aback at Tommy's sudden rage, and was unprepared when Tommy launched an attack using all his powers. In quick succession, Tommy had blacked both of Tyler's eyes, split his lip, and cracked him in the stomach. Backing away from his berserk double, Tyler teleported out, holding his abdomen.   
As his adrenaline faded, Tommy was assailed by a sudden flash of pain from his ribs. Breathing deeply, he pushed it under control. "All right, it's time to find Jason and Jamie." Concentrating, using his magical senses, he reached out with his mind. Picking up their life signs, he gated out, heading for where they were. 

* * *

"Ungh!" Jamie got to her feet slowly. She had given almost as much damage as she had taken in the fight, but she was beginning to tire, and Jason's bigger size was giving him the advantage. Realizing that she didn't have too much left to give, she set herself into another fighting stance. "At least if I go out, I'll go out fighting," she muttered.   
Another blow caught her in the side of the head, knocking her into the wall. Struggling to get up, she collapsed onto the floor as her knees refused to support her. Exhausted, hurting, she looked up at Jason, defiance shining in her eyes. Jason drew back for the killing strike- and stopped.   
"Jamie?" he asked thickly, his hand lowering to his side once again. "Oh my God. What did I do?" Dropping to his knees, he traced the injuries on her face gently. "I could have killed you."   
"But you didn't," she told him raggedly. Reaching up, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him fiercely. "I love you, Jason."   
"I love you too," he told her, holding her tightly. In the background, Terry made gagging noises.   
"Spare me the sappy sentiment, please," she groaned. With Jason's help, Jamie slowly got to her feet.   
Jamie's eyes flashed. "Sappy sentiment or not, we won. You lost."   
"We'll just see about that," Terry hissed. Suddenly a green light flashed into the room, and Tommy appeared, looking most definitely the worse for wear.   
"Tommy!" Jason gasped. "Holy crap, man, are you all right?"   
Smiling painfully, Tommy nodded. "You ought to see the other guy. Come on, let's get out of here." Putting one arm around Jamie's shoulders and one around Jason's, he gated all three of them out in a brilliant flash of emerald light. 

* * *

Sarah Oliver gasped as her older son staggered in through the door. "Tommy, sit down! What happened to you?"   
Sinking into a kitchen chair, Tommy sighed as he gratefully accepted the ice pack his mother gave him. Placing it over his eye, he relaxed, careful not to jar his ribs. "You remember Tyler, Rita's Green Warrior? Well, he's what happened. He trapped me in a dimension and beat the living shit out of me. Sorry, Mom."   
Sarah shook her head, less concerned with his swearing than his injuries. Tommy's language only deteriorated when he was in pain. "Are you all right?"   
Tommy nodded carefully. "I think so. Accelerated healing's kicking in, and the ribs are healing. The bruises may linger for a while, but I should look normal again in a couple days. I just hurt all over."   
"I'll get you some aspirin." While she retrieved the pills, Sarah shot an anxious look at her son. "Tommy, what are you going to do about him? Do you think you can defeat him?"   
Tommy shook his head, a bleak expression crossing his face. "Not on my own. He's too good, and too ruthless." Then he smiled. "I don't have to beat him on my own, though. I have the other Rangers to back me up, and they'll always be there for me."   
"Then what's bothering you? It's not just getting beaten up."   
"It's not me I'm worried about. The son of a bitch said he had his eye on Lil. I'm worried that he might try to go after her. He had his heart set on Kim earlier, and he nearly killed her. I'm scared to death that I won't be able to protect her from him."   
"Tommy, she doesn't need you to protect her. From what I've seen, she's quite capable of protecting herself. Plus, the other Rangers are there for her, too. Just be there for her. It's all you can do."   
Tommy smiled up at his mother. "Thanks, Mom."   
"Any time. Now, about your language, young man," she began with a smile. Tommy groaned, but good-naturedly settled down to listen to her lecture. 

* * *

Finster looked up from the dish he was preparing and gasped. Jamie had just come in the back door with her face badly banged up. Setting down his casserole, the little man ran over and helped the girl into a seat. "What in Arellia's name happened to you?" he fussed, all the while rummaging around in the cabinets. "Last I checked, Tengas weren't that good at fighting."   
"Tengas didn't do this to me," she whispered, trying to think what to tell Finster.   
The housekeeper stopped, turning towards her. "What did?" he asked seriously. One look at him, and Jamie realized that he would not be put off with an excuse or a lie. Biting her lip, she looked at the floor.   
"This goes no farther than us, all right? As far as Mom and Dad know, I was attacked by Tengas, and it got a little heavy." Finster nodded, pouring a solution from a bottle onto a rag. "Jason did this to me. It wasn't really his fault, though. You see, Rita made a duplicate of me from the Mirror of Night, and the duplicate, Terry, put a spell on Jason. He attacked me, and he nearly killed me, but he couldn't."   
Finster did not respond for a time, dabbing at Jamie's face with the rag. Finally he sat back, examining his work critically. "Well, you still look as if you've been in a fight, but it's not too bad."   
She smiled. "Thanks, Finster. I didn't know you knew how to doctor people."   
"Well, goodness, I didn't spend all my life making monsters. Back on Arellia, I was a maker of creatures, good ones. I also patched up the children of my area all the time, not to mention my best friend Garren. He was always getting into fights." The housekeeper chuckled at the memory, his blue eyes cloudy and far away. Suddenly he shook himself back to the present. "Well, no matter. I can doctor physical wounds, but I'm afraid I'm not very good with mental ones."   
Jamie frowned. "Mental ones? What do you mean?"   
"Call me crazy, but I think getting the living daylights beaten out of you by your boyfriend, even if you didn't blame him, would be slightly psychologically damaging," Finster said dryly. "Besides, I can see there's something you're holding back. I think you should talk to Dr. Kino about this. She's done a lot of good for the rest of your friends."   
Jamie nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks, Finster. I think I'll do that." 

* * *

Lita Kino looked at her calendar and sighed. Jamie Zedden and Jason Scott had both called in and made "appointments" for during her free period. Idly, she wondered what the problem could be this time. Life for her had certainly not been boring since she made friends with the Power Rangers.   
Jamie was the first. The girl looked a little uncomfortable at being in a psychiatrist's office, as she gingerly sat in the chair Lita offered her.   
"I think this is the first time you've been to me for professional help. What seems to be the trouble?"   
"Well, do you know about Tommy and the Mirror of Night?" Quickly, Jamie outlined the events of the past few weeks, including her experiences in the pocket dimension. She was forthright about everything, not glossing over any of the details. "So Finster told me I ought to come to you," Jamie finished.   
Lita thought about what Jamie had told her for a long moment. "Something is bothering you about this whole thing. Is it what happened between you and Jason?"   
Jamie shook her head. "Not really. I understand that it wasn't his fault, it was hers. I guess I'm a little shaken up, but I understand he wouldn't hurt me of his own free will."   
"Then what is it?"   
Shifting uncomfortably, Jamie grimaced. "Well, it's Terry. I mean, she was such a- well, basically a slut. The way she dressed, and acted- she was coming on to Jason, and she as much as admitted that she had no intention of being monogamous!"   
"Why does that bother you?"   
"I guess because she's my reflection. Zordon told us that nothing can come out of that mirror which didn't go in. Am I like that? Seeing myself in that light is sort of disturbing."   
Lita nodded understandingly. "I did some talking with Tommy about his reflection, back when this all started, and he told me that the mirror twisted whatever came out. We haven't talked professionally before, you and I, but I've hung around with you and watched you with your friends. You seem to be a very passionate person, in everything that you do, correct?"   
Jamie nodded. "Whatever I do, I try to do it a hundred percent."   
"Well, that passion and zest for life was twisted by the mirror. I've also watched you with Jason. You seem to be extremely demonstrative and comfortable with affection, as well as your sexuality." At Jamie's blush, Lita hastened on. "I don't mean to embarrass you, but this does have some bearing on the situation. Am I right?"   
Jamie nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. My mom always told me that it was completely normal, and you shouldn't be ashamed of desires and feelings like that. The only thing to be ashamed of was what you did, because that's what you could control."   
"When Rita made her duplicate of you, that aspect of your personality was twisted as well. In you, it simply manifests as a sensual nature and comfort with what you feel. In your reflection, it manifests as- well, as you said, she behaves like a slut."   
Frowning thoughtfully, Jamie nodded again. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Lita."   
Cocking her head, Lita regarded the younger girl speculatively. "What else is bothering you?"   
Jamie smiled wryly. "I guess I'm just a bit shaken up. I don't like being helpless, depending on someone else to save me. Brings back too many bad memories."   
"Do you want to talk about it?"   
"Why not? I ought to get it off my chest sometime, and better you than Jason. I grew up in a marginal section of LA. Not the nice, rich portions, but not gang central, either. We didn't have a lot of money, since my dad was supposedly dead, so I took to supplementing our income by picking pockets and pulling the occasional cat burglary. I was twelve at the time, and one of the best. A few run-ins with the cops, but I never got caught." Jamie's voice held a hint of pride.   
"Anyway, one day I picked the wrong pocket- or maybe the right one. Belonged to a kid named Snake Madison. He caught me, and decided rather than turn me in, he'd give me a job. He owned a workshop, fixing cars and building machinery for various local businesses. I wound up as an apprentice welder, and some time later, Snake's girlfriend.   
"Those guys were some of the best friends I ever had. It was almost like a second family. Then Snake made a big mistake. He hired a guy by the name of Jack Doyle, who turned out to be completely psychotic. The creep promptly developed a four-alarm obsession with me. After a failed attempt to get me into bed, he beat the living daylights out of Snake. For a while, we thought he wasn't gonna pull through, but he did. As for JackŠ," Jamie shivered.   
"I was walking home from school one day, and I felt a sting in my arm. I passed out. The son of a bitch had gotten a tranquilizer gun and shot me with one of the darts. I woke up tied to a bed in a dirty, diseased, run-down warehouse. Jack was standing over me, laughing." Jamie's eyes were closed, and Lita could tell that she was reliving the painful memory. "I had never felt so helpless in my life. I couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't do anything. I tried my damnedest to keep him talking, but he finally decided to move on to- more enjoyable pursuits." She shuddered. "He literally ripped my clothes off me. God knows what would have happened next, but the door burst open, and Snake came charging in. Jack pulled a gun, but Snake got to him before he could shoot. They fought for a while. Meanwhile, Snake's best friend Wizard cut me loose and gave me a shirt.   
"Jack managed to get the drop on Snake; I'm not sure how. They'd lost the gun in the fight, so Jack picked up a length of pipe. He was going to bash Snake's head in. I tried to stop him and he knocked me away. I landed near the gun, and I picked it up, and I shot him." Lita started. She hadn't quite expected that. Jamie's face was cold and impassive. "I emptied the entire clip into the bastard, and then I kept dry-firing, pulling the trigger when there weren't any bullets left. Finally, Snake took the gun away from me and just held me. We dumped the body in an alley, wiped the prints off the gun, and left it there. The police never found out who did it, although to be honest, they weren't trying that hard. Jack was scum, no two ways about it. No one cared that he was dead, including his own family. I hear his dad didn't even stop drinking long enough to attend the funeral."   
"How old were you?" Lita asked quietly.   
"Sixteen. I just kind of shoved it away. Anyway, I don't like being helpless. It brings all that back. Thanks for letting me talk about it, though."   
"Anytime. Remember, I'm always here if you need me."   
"Thanks, Lita. I'll remember that." Rising, Jamie left the office. Lita sat in silence for a while, then began to prepare for her next patient. 

* * *

"Sit down, Jason. What seems to be the problem?"   
Quickly, Jason launched into his version of the events in the pocket dimension. Nodding, Lita absorbed the minor differences between his story and Jamie's. "I could have killed her!" he finished, dropping his head into his hands. "I could have broken her in half."   
"But you didn't," Lita reminded him. "And it wasn't just because she fought back. I know a bit about karate, and even though the two of you are at equal levels of skill in your respective styles, your strength gives you a definite advantage. Physically, you could have killed her, yes. But obviously, you managed to stop yourself."   
"I can't believe I let that witch control me," he muttered.   
Lita regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "According to Billy, the control was due to a massive upsurge of hormones. In short, Jason, you were drugged. How were you supposed to fight that?"   
"She didn't drug me, she kissed me. And what a kiss!" He sighed guiltily.   
"Ah. I see what this is getting at. You feel guilty because she was able to control you, because you responded to her physically."   
Blushing, Jason managed to nod. "Yeah. I didn't even like her, but it was like my whole body was on fire! My girlfriend was right across the room, and she still managed to do that to me!"   
"Jason, do you find Jamie physically attractive?" Lita's question, coming out of left field, caught Jason by surprise.   
"Yeah, of course I do. Why?"   
"Now, this Dark Reflection is an exact physical copy of Jamie. Why are you so guilty about being attracted to her?"   
"Because she's not Jamie! I was this close to cheating on my girlfriend!"   
"Were you? Jason, you love Jamie, correct? And you don't love Terry."   
"Right. So?"   
"What allows you to tell them apart? I mean, aren't they identical?"   
"No way!" Jason denied vehemently. "Jamie's warm and loving, even if she does have a bad temper and a very sarcastic sense of humor. Terry's cold, totally cold. I'm not even sure she's capable of love."   
"But this is a distinction you make mentally, right? If you were just reacting on instinct, there'd be no difference. And when Terry stimulated your hormones (which for the most part run off physical cues), your brain shut down. So how could you tell the difference, and how could you fight off her control?"   
"I should have been able to, with Jamie right there."   
"Would it help to know she doesn't blame you?" Jason's head snapped up. "That's right. I asked her about that, and she said that it would be absolutely ridiculous to expect you to be unaffected by what was basically her body attempting to get your hormones in an uproar."   
"She did?"   
"Yes. I think the best thing for you to do would be to talk this out with her. This is really something the two of you should work out together."   
Jason stood. "Thanks for your help, Lita. I do feel better." He left, and Lita watched him go, shaking her head.   
"Men. Sheesh." With that, she bent back to her paperwork. 

* * *

Lillian stretched, sighing. Suddenly, the sound of a footstep on the soft grass of the park made her whirl. Tommy stood behind her, hands up in the classic "I'm harmless" position. She relaxed, glaring at him. "Don't do that!"   
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Kind of edgy, aren't you?"   
"Wouldn't you be?" she retorted. "Your mom called last night and told me what you'd told her, about Tyler having his eye on me."   
He groaned. "Aw, man! I was hoping you wouldn't find out. We've all got enough to worry about as it is. I didn't want you to have to deal with this as well."   
Her eyes flashed. "Tommy, when are you going to learn that you don't have to protect me? I can take very good care of myself!" Folding her arms across her chest, she turned away from him.   
"I know you can, Lil," he sighed, coming up behind her. Putting his arms around her, he pulled her back so that she was leaning against him and her head rested against his shoulder. "It's not a question of having to protect you, it's a question of wanting to. I don't want to see you get hurt, and if I can do anything to stop that, I will. I love you, Lillian. I just want to keep you safe."   
"Tommy, I'm not some storybook princess. I can fight my own dragons."   
Abruptly, he released her. "Right. I know I have a tendency to try and protect everyone, but that's because I care about them, not because I think they're helpless. Your problem is that you're too damn independent."   
"How can you be too independent?" she shot back, turning to face him.   
"You won't let anyone help you. It's no crime to need someone's help once in a while, or to let them give it. God knows, I learned that the hard way." He turned away, looking out over the park so that she could only see his profile.   
Cocking her head, Lillian regarded her boyfriend for a long moment. _This is why things didn't work with Kim and Kat,_ she realized. _Not because they didn't love each other, but because they didn't understand him. He's so dark sometimes, and I'm really the only one of his girlfriends who understands that._ "What happened?" she asked aloud.   
He shrugged. "I spent most of my career as a Ranger keeping people at arm's length. I'm sure you've heard the stories about me losing my powers, and always charging in at the last minute to save the day. Well, what doesn't come up is that I hid my power loss as much as I could. I always thought I could handle it myself. I didn't want or need anyone else's help. Then, when I couldn't hide my power loss any longer, I hid my fear and despair. I let them all think I was fine. You know, to this day only Lita knows why I was always charging in to save the day, no matter what the risk. Oh, sure, I wanted to save my friends, I really did- but that wasn't the only reason. I had a death wish. Deep in the back of my mind, I was hoping that I'd be killed in battle, and then I wouldn't have to deal with what Rita did to me anymore. There were times when I really considered jumping off a cliff, or taking my dad's service revolver and putting a bullet in my brain. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that the Rangers needed me. I was working up to shooting myself when Zordon called me back to be the White Ranger. I think he knew what I was planning, and that's the main reason I was chosen. Oh, I know I was also a good candidate for the position, but I think my depression may have tilted the scales."   
Lillian put a hand on his shoulder, and he gave her a half-smile. "I'm over that now, thank goodness. I don't have anymore desire to kill myself. I've got too much to live for." Pulling her close, he gave her a kiss. "What I'm trying to say is that if you don't let somebody in, let somebody help you, sooner or later the same thing will happen to you. No one can deal with the darkness in their heart alone."   
She nodded, slipping an arm around his waist. The two of them walked out of the park together. 

* * *

A few days passed, without much activity from Rita and company. Tommy and Jamie were sparring in the youth center when their communicators toned. Looking around in case someone were watching, the two of them slipped out into the hall. "We read you, Zordon," Tommy said quietly. "What's up?"   
"Tommy, Jamie, please teleport to the Power Chamber. A matter has arisen that concerns both of you."   
Exchanging worried looks, the two of them teleported out. When they arrived in the Power Chamber, they found the other Zeo Rangers waiting for them. "What's going on, Zordon?" Jamie asked, stepping forward.   
"Observe the viewing globe, Rangers." The eleven teens turned toward the globe and saw a large monster with a number of heads attacking the Little Japan section of Angel Grove. Even as they watched, it torched an herb shop with its flaming breath.   
"Whoa," Rocky commented. "Major halitosis." He mock cringed as the other Rangers glared at him.   
"This is the Hydrator, Rita's latest monster, based on the many-headed Hydra of Greek mythology. It has seven heads and the ability to breathe fire."   
"If it's an accurate adaptation, it'll be able to re-grow its heads, as well," Adam sighed. "Two heads where only one had been before. Hercules had to fight the Hydra as one of his twelve labors. He finally defeated it by cauterizing the necks so that they couldn't regenerate."   
"So what are we waiting for? You take off its heads, singe the necks, and it's history, right?" Tommy asked.   
"I'm afraid it is not that simple, Tommy. Rita has given the Hydrator a magical immunity to fire. Only magical flames can harm it. That is why we are restoring you to active duty," replied Zordon.   
Tommy's jaw dropped. "You're what? You mean it? But I thought I wasn't ready."   
"No choice, man," Trey informed him, shaking his head. "We need magic fire, which is your department. Besides, you've recovered enough that you should be fine, especially now that Mondo's stopped trying to wear you out. We need you."   
Stepping forward, David held out Tommy's Zeonizers. "I may have worn these often, but they've always belonged to you."   
Taking the wristbands from his brother, Tommy smiled. Then strapping them on his wrists, he turned to face the other Zeo Rangers. "All right, guys. It's morphin' time!"   
"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!"   
"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"   
"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"   
"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"   
"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"   
"Zeo Ranger VI, White!"   
"Zeo Ranger VII, Silver!"   
"Zeo Shard Power!"   
"Zeo Shadow Power!"   
"Gold Ranger Power!"   
In ten flashes of color, the Rangers were transported to Little Japan. "Keep your eyes open," Red Ranger ordered. "Hydrator's got to be around here somewhere."   
"I am indeed, Rangers! And I'm not alone!" Hydrator roared, smashing out of a nearby building. Behind him came Tyler and Terry, in Morphin Warrior costume, smirking.   
"Not you two again," Red Ranger sighed.   
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Tommy, back on duty, I see. So good to know you're feeling better."   
"Trey, Katya, take him. Lil, Kat, you two take her. The rest of you, let's go stop Hydrator." The Rangers split up, and the battle began in earnest. 

* * *

"Jamie, stay by me! Chop the heads off, and I'll singe the necks!" Red Ranger yelled.   
"Right!" Purple Ranger responded, saluting.   
"What do we do, Tommy?" Green Ranger cried.   
"Distract the other heads! Adam, Tanya, take the ones on the left. Rocky, Chris, take the ones on the right. We'll take out the middle one and work our way out."   
"Right!" the others responded. The next half-hour seemed to stretch on for eternity. Rita had apparently put a lot of work into Hydrator, as the Rangers soon discovered. When Purple Ranger sliced off the first head, acid sprayed out, nearly dissolving Red Ranger. Ducking, he threw a fireball which cauterized the stump just as two new heads began to grow.   
"One down, six to go," he panted. Meanwhile, the heads on the right were giving Blue and White Rangers a hard time. Blue Ranger's Arm Blades were useless because the two could not get close enough to the head to use them. White Ranger was reduced to parrying the breath of three heads with Zeo Saba, occasionally slipping in a blast from his eyes. Suddenly a well-placed slice of Purple Ranger's sword cut her workload by a third. Snapping off a quick salute, she continued to defend.   
On the other side of the Hydrator, Green and Yellow Rangers were not doing so well. Both had short-range weapons, Green Ranger with hatchets and Yellow with nunchaku. To get in an attack, they would have to pass dangerously close to the Hydrator's mouth. Deciding that this was not a very good idea, they had wound up tossing large chunks of concrete at the monster, which had the effect of keeping its attention focused squarely on them.   
In this way, the Rangers managed to distract Hydrator until Tommy cauterized the last of its necks. Unfortunately, the monster was not finished yet. Somehow laughing maniacally with no mouth, the monster charged them, its claws outstretched.   
"We cut its frigging head off!" Red Ranger cried. "What the heck is going on?"   
"I would theorize that it has an auxiliary nerve center located somewhere in its body, and is tracking us via infrared," White Ranger responded.   
"Chris, you're slipping into Billy-speak," Yellow Ranger reminded her gently.   
"Oh, sorry. I meant to say that it has an extra brain, and heat sensors. We have to try and sever the spinal cord, at the base of the tail would be my guess."   
"Yeah? Easier said than done," Blue Ranger pointed out. Putting their heads together, the six Rangers began to discuss their strategy. 

* * *

"You fools are pathetic!" Tyler laughed. He and Gold Ranger were fencing, katana to Golden Power Staff. Silver Ranger circled them, looking for an opening. "I will destroy you!"   
"You talk too much," Gold Ranger grunted. Suddenly one of Tyler's fireballs knocked him off his feet, into a nearby wall. Tyler reacted instantly, lifting his sword high for the final blow, but Silver Ranger was quicker. With a quick flick of her wrist, she wrapped her energy whip around Tyler's blade and pulled, sending him off balance just long enough for Gold Ranger to get to his feet and continue the fight.   
Meanwhile, Terry was knocking Black and Pink Rangers around something fierce. The two girls gave as good as they got, though. "Shadow Ribbons Strike!" Black Ranger called, shooting several lances of black light at Terry.   
"Pink Firecloud!" added Pink Ranger. The combined attacks struck Terry in the chest, knocking her back several feet.   
"I'm not beaten yet," the girl puffed, using her staff to lever herself to her feet. "Take this!" Spinning her staff, she threw herself back into the fray.   
"Shadow Staff!" Black Ranger called. A black bo staff materialized in her hands and she immediately began to parry Terry's attacks. Thrusting, parrying, and blocking, the two girls fought fiercely, neither one gaining the upper hand. Pink Ranger watched in awe as two masters of the staff practiced their art, seemingly equal in skill. 

* * *

"Hey ugly!" Blue Ranger called. It was perhaps the most trite method of getting a monster's attention known to man, but it worked. "Your mamma's so dumb, she thought a quarterback was a refund! She's so fat, she sat on a dollar and four quarters popped out."   
"I think you and Lillian are beginning to affect him," Red Ranger whispered to Purple Ranger.   
"Shut up. It's working." Indeed, the Hydrator had begun to orient on Blue Ranger, despite its lack of sensory organs.   
"All right. Chris, Adam, Tanya, follow me. Jamie, whatever happens, you have to sever its spine."   
"Right." The Rangers leapt from their hiding places. While Green, Yellow, White, and Red Rangers kept the monster busy, Purple Ranger leapt neatly over the monster's flailing tail and plunged her sword into its back. Screaming, the monster fell to the ground. The six Rangers were barely clear of it before it blew sky-high. As the flames cleared, the inhabitants of Little Japan began poking their heads out of their homes and businesses. They gathered around the Rangers, thanking them in a mixture of Japanese and English.   
"All in the job description, ma'am," Red Ranger informed a woman. The lady was the owner of a butcher's shop, and was trying to give him a freshly dressed chicken as a token of gratitude. The fact that she spoke almost no English was complicating his refusal. Finally, he managed to make her understand, and he joined the others.   
"Come on, let's get back. I don't want to think about what Tyler and Terry may be up to by now." The six teleported out, arriving at the scene of the other battle.   
"Terry!" Tyler called, realizing that the Rangers now outnumbered them five to one. "Let's go! We'll finish them another time!" With that, the two teleported out.   
"Let's go back to the Power Chamber," Silver Ranger sighed, weary. "I'm worn out." 

* * *

Tyler and Terry knelt before Rita, afraid to look her in the eyes. "We have failed you, Empress," Terry mumbled in a low tone.   
"So you have," Rita agreed, sounding rather reasonable about the whole thing, "but you are still alive, and I still have you to use against the Rangers. Things are not over yet for those Power Pip-squeaks. You have my word on it." 

* * *

"So you and Jason have worked things out between you?" Tommy asked. He and Jamie were relaxing in the park, enjoying the warmth of the day.   
"Oh yeah. In a way, Terry was one of the better things to have happen to us. I think we actually understand each other better now. Of course, he still doesn't know about what happened to me before. I don't think I'm going to tell him unless I absolutely have to. Why not leave him his illusions?" Tommy and Lita were the only people Jamie had shared her experience in LA with. Both had been very supportive, and with their help, Jamie has slowly begun to recover.   
"I can understand that. Listen, I just wanted you to know how important you are to me. I've had a lot of great friends in my life, but you're so much closer to me than any of them have been. I'm glad you're my friend, Jamie. You're my best friend."   
"You're mine, too, Tommy." Taking his hand, she smiled at him and they walked on. Nothing more really needed to be said. 

The End ... for now 

  
  



	3. Dark Mirror 3: Heart of Darkness

_**Disclaimer: **Aw, we all know the drill by now. Haim Saban, Power Rangers, you fill in the rest. Clark Lane and Lois Kent also belong to Jennifer Bigley, and are used because they're sort of shared characters. Kids, don't try this at home. Thanks also go out to Jeremy Logsdon, Kittie Verdena, and April Richards for their contributions of Minor Demon names. This fanfic rated PG-13 for violence, language, and some sexual references. No graphic descriptions, though. This story is in the "Personality Conflicts" series, after Dark Mirror 2: Through a Glass Darkly. Severe romantic outlook warning. Cynics proceed at your own risk._

**Dark Mirror Three: Heart of Darkness**

  
  
  


Tyler woke up in the middle of the night and realized the bed was empty. That was rather unusual, because Terry was a much deeper sleeper than he. If she was up and around, something must be bothering her. For some reason, that bothered him. He didn't really understand why he worried about her being upset, but he did. He had noticed some oddities in her behavior lately, as well. She sometimes looked as if her mind was a million miles away, and she seemed to be finding it harder and harder to dredge up enthusiasm for a new attack on the Power Rangers. Also, when they touched, there seemed to be a softness in her that had not been there before. He wasn't sure why, but he liked it.   
Rising out of bed, he pulled on a pair of shorts and went looking for her. The vacuum of the Moon did not bother either of them, thanks to the spells Rita provided them with. Neither of them even noticed the cold or the airlessness of deep space. Tyler was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts and worries to care. He was changing as well, and he wasn't sure why. He thought about Terry far more than he ought too, caring more about protecting her than about destroying the enemy. He wasn't sure why he was having these feelings, and he certainly didn't like it. He was Rita's greatest warrior. If he grew weak and sentimental, he would surely be destroyed.   
Tyler finally found Terry sitting at the top of a rock ridge, staring at the full Earth above them. The Winnebago was currently parked at the Sinus Medii, where the Earth was always directly overhead. Terry had told him once that she liked the drama in the view there. Sitting down next to her, he said nothing, simply waited.   
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Terry sighed. She had awakened next to him in the middle of the night, and had spent a good deal of time just watching him sleep. For some reason, every time she looked at him, she felt strange. More and more, she had a desire to protect him and make him happy. These strange feelings were spilling over into other things, as well.   
"I'm scared," she finally admitted, breaking the silence. "I feel so strange inside. I don't want to fight the Power Rangers any more. I just want to get away from it all. What's happening to me?"   
She sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. Not really understanding why he did it, Tyler reached out and drew her into his arms, holding her tightly. "I don't know, Terry, but I promise, I'll help you no matter what," he promised. 

* * *

"I can't believe you're back already," Skull grinned, loading his friend's suitcases in the trunk of his car.   
"For good this time, buddy," replied Bulk. "I've got a job as a diplomatic courier, since I know the area. I'm going to be here for a while."   
"It's good to have you back, Bulk." Hopping into the car, the two men drove in silence for a while.   
"So how's everything going? How's Tommy?" Bulk asked. The last time he'd been home, Tommy had been suffering from exhaustion, to the point where the other Rangers had been planning to force him to take a vacation from the team.   
"Oh, he's doing all right. We made him take a break, but he's recovered now. Unfortunately, Tyler has some back-up. Her name is Terry, and she's Jamie's duplicate. Jamie is Jason's girlfriend, and the Purple Ranger."   
"Oh, yeah, the short redhead. I think I met her once."   
"Right. Well, Rita made Terry into the Purple Warrior, and basically Tyler's backup. They're causing a lot of havoc."   
"Nasty. How's your love life going?"   
Skull grinned. "Not bad. Kimberly and I are going to a major party next week at Ernie's. It's the twentieth anniversary of the juice bar. Want me to see if I can try to fix you up with someone?"   
Chuckling, Bulk shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I prefer to find my own dates, thank you very much. Besides, all the girls you know are taken."   
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Kat's dating David, Tanya's with Adam, Lil's with Tommy, Katya's with Rocky, Chris is with Billy, Jamie's with Jason, Trini's with Richie, and Kim's with me. Still, I'm sure we can find someone to fix you up with. And even if you're stag, you can hang around with us."   
Bulk smiled. "Hard to believe, isn't it, Skull? We're now hanging around with the people who we made miserable throughout high school. Does Richie know about Trini's day job?"   
Skull shook his head. "No, you and David are the only non-Ranger, non-Warrior, non-parents to know the team's identities. Well, there's Aisha Campbell, of course, but we hardly ever hear from her. The mail service ain't too great out on the African veldt. She didn't even know Jason was sick until we'd already saved him."   
"So she probably won't be returning, huh?" Bulk thought back to the time that he had suddenly and inexplicably fallen head over heels for Aisha. Later, he had realized that he must have been caught in the spell of a monster, just like every other poor shmuck in the school that day. He liked Aisha, and thought she was pretty, but she just wasn't his type romantically.   
"Naw, I don't think so. Why, are you interested?" Skull shot his friend a sly glance out of the corner of one eye. Bulk replied to that with an indelicate snort.   
"No, not really. She's not my type. Besides, she'd be Zack's girlfriend if she was home. I'd lay bets on it."   
"Actually, the Zack-man finally snagged Angela. I guess being at that peace conference had matured him enough that he was "acceptable" to her high standards. Well, that and the fact that she grew up too. Remember the time he hired us to play music at their table when he took her to that French restaurant?" Seeing that Bulk did, Skull went on to describe what else had happened at that fateful dinner, namely the attack of the Oysterizer, complete with sound effects. The story itself wasn't very funny, but the way Skull told it had Bulk laughing so hard that he almost fell out of his seat. During one of the moments that he caught his breath, Bulk thought with incredulity about how much the two of them had changed. He was doing really important work for the first time in his life, carrying documents that meant a great deal to the people who sent and received them. Skull was a Power Ranger, with all the responsibilities and danger that implied. Wistfully, he wondered if they had changed so much that the friendship between them was gone for good. 

* * *

A few days later, Bulk had been easily absorbed into the group. Skull's absolute trust in his friend had gone a long way to improving the other Rangers' opinion of Bulk, and he helped things along by acting like a normal person for the first time in his acquaintance with them. One day, while Bulk and the Morphin Warriors were in the park, trouble struck. Jason's communicator toned, and the seven teens drew close.   
"We read you, Zordon. What's up?"   
"Rangers, a dire situation has arisen. Tyler and Terry are downtown with Goldar, causing havoc in Chinatown. Teleport to the Power Chamber and I will explain the situation. Also, bring Bulk with you. Alpha and I would like to talk to him."   
The Rangers looked at each other, then at Bulk, who shrugged. In seven flashes of light, they disappeared.   
At the Power Chamber, the chaos on the viewing globe immediately caught everyone's attention. "Geez," Zack sighed, "what is it with Rita and the Asian-American sections of Angel Grove?"   
"Chinatown and Little Japan are among the most populated sections of the city," Zordon rumbled. "No doubt Rita wishes to put you on the defensive."   
"Well, she's doing a wonderful job," Kimberly grumped.   
"We'll handle her," Jason assured Zordon. "It's morphin time!"   
"Tigerzord!"   
"Mastodon!"   
"Pterodactyl!"   
"Triceratops!"   
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!"   
"Tyrannosaurus!"   
In six flashes of color, the six disappeared, leaving a duly impressed Bulk behind. 

* * *

"All right, Rangers, spread out," Jason ordered. "Zack, Trini, take the Tengas. Skull, Kim, Billy, handle our two Morphin Warrior friends. Goldar's mine," he snarled, battle rage lighting his eyes. Their assignments received, the Morphin Warriors hurled themselves into battle.   
Zack and Trini, back to back, sent the Tengas flying over, under, and through: over and under each other, and through various flimsy structures on the street. Also, their weapons were cutting quite a swathe through the flock.   
"So nice to see you again, White Warrior," Tyler smirked. "Let's end this, shall we?"   
"With pleasure," Skull shot back. The two men summoned their swords and a pitched battle followed. Meanwhile Kimberly and Billy were occupied with Terry, who was wielding her staff with economy and grace. Kimberly was able to block some of the attacks with her bow, but it wasn't really made for such things. Terry was far too agile for either Ranger to use their projectile attacks.   
"It's good to see you back in action, Jason," Goldar taunted. "Tommy wasn't much of a challenge. After all, I learned all his moves a long time ago. Hopefully you'll give me more of a workout."   
Jason smiled grimly. "If it's a workout you want, Goldar, then you're going to get it- in spades." Pulling out his broadsword, he moved to the attack. Thrusting, parrying, and cutting, the two masters of the sword fought back and forth. The only sounds heard were the clang of metal against metal and their harsh, heavy breathing. Jason's face was set and cold, his eyes blazing with fury. Someone who knew him well would be able to detect the signs of Jason's berserker rage flooding through him. Goldar did know Jason well, and was beginning to worry. Still, he only had to distract Jason until one of Rita's Morphin Warriors managed to defeat his or her opponent, and then the young man would be less of a danger.   
Terry had just dodged a shot from Kimberly's bow when her breath caught in her throat. A section of concrete ledge, loosened from the building it decorated by Goldar's eyebeams during the initial assault, was crumbling, about to plummet straight down onto a six year-old girl who was watching the fight from the sidewalk, too afraid to move away. Suddenly, she did not think. She simply acted. Throwing herself past the startled Kimberly and Billy, she launched herself at the girl, knocking her out of the way of the falling concrete. Rolling, Terry came up unhurt, with the child unscathed as well.   
"Are you okay, honey?" Terry asked, concerned. The little girl nodded, speechless with awe. "Then you'd better get out of here, okay? Go that way; you'll be safe." The child smiled at her and then ran off in the indicated direction. Pulling herself to her feet, Terry turned to face her opponents and stopped. Suddenly she was tired, bone-weary of all the strife.   
"You win for now, Rangers," she sighed. "Enjoy it while you can." Then she teleported out in a flash of violet flame. Tyler, watching her go, followed suit, leaving only Goldar to carry on the fight. Realizing he was alone and that he would have no help with Jason, the cowardly henchman teleported out.   
"Jason," Trini said quietly, "are you all right?"   
Panting, Jason nodded, flashing her a quick smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little carried away there. Come on, let's head back to the Power Chamber." 

* * *

"O'Neil! In my office now!" yelled Ronald Jacobs. Jacobs was the cantankerous editor of one of Angel Grove's three major newspapers, _The Angel Grove Gazette_. The _Gazette_'s major competitor was the _Chronicle_, which had the best reporting team in the city, Clark Lane and Lois Kent. They had recently published yet another article about the Power Rangers, and as usual, Parker O'Neil was feeling the heat.   
"Yes, boss?" he asked, strolling into Jacobs' office and casually taking a seat in a chair. Parker was 6'4", and well-muscled, with brown-blond hair and odd tawny eyes. He radiated the easy charm and complete confidence that made him such a wonderful reporter. People talked to him, even people who had something to hide. But it was Parker's skill with a camera that made him such a valuable asset to the _Gazette_. He had a gift for taking pictures, especially pictures of the Power Rangers, that no one else could take. Not to mention that he was the only reporter the Power Rangers would talk to.   
"O'Neil, why the heck didn't you get this story? 'Hydra Monster rips up Little Japan.' The _Chronicle_'s made fools of us- again."   
Parker just grinned at his choleric boss. "Relax. I've got something even better." Tossing a packet on Jacobs' desk, he had the pleasure of seeing the older man's eyes light up as he thumbed threw it.   
"A direct interview with the Power Rangers! Plus pictures of those two evil Morphin Warriors! Hot damn, O'Neil, you've pulled it off again!"   
"That interview gives everything Kent's article has, all from the Power Ranger's mouth, so to speak. We'll blow them away."   
"I knew I hired you for a reason, boy. Now go on, go find me another headline." Shaking his head, Parker left Jacobs' office, whistling.   
If only his family was as easy to deal with as his office. As he left the building, he sighed, thinking about the changes in his sister's behavior recently. She had always been somewhat withdrawn, but she had still confided in him. Now, however, she seemed to have a secret that she wouldn't share, even with him. It all seemed to be tied up with Tommy Oliver, her new boyfriend. Parker liked the guy well enough, but he had been unable to shake the certainty that he was mixed up in something way beyond his years. A quick background check had turned up nothing but squeaky-clean, though. That only served to fuel Parker's suspicions, despite all evidence to Tommy's innocence.   
Pushing his worries out of his mind, Parker hopped into his car, a 1989 cherry-red Mustang convertible. It was a lovely piece of work, and had been his for about three years. He had worked hard on keeping it in shape, and it could outrun and outmaneuver 90 percent of the cars in Angel Grove. In his line of work as an investigative reporter, that had come in handy on more than one occasion. As he drove, he kept his eyes open for any potential stories. Reporters were always on duty, after all. 

* * *

On the Moon, Terry sat staring at the Earth above her. After their return from battle, she and Tyler had been thoroughly chewed out by Rita, who had then retired, saying something about a headache. Now she was alone, trying to think about what she had done and why. Suddenly a pair of hands descended on her shoulders. She started, then relaxed when she realized it was Tyler.   
"Penny for your thoughts," he said quietly. She smiled, shaking her head.   
"I don't think they're worth a penny. I was just thinking how tired I am. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't know what I want, but that's not it."   
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Sounds like we need a vacation."   
"That's it!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "Let's go down to Earth, you and me. Not as Morphin Warriors, not to cause trouble, but just to have some fun! We could go to the movies or something."   
"What about Rita? Won't she object?"   
Terry grinned. "There's an old Earth saying, 'Better to ask forgiveness than permission.' Besides, she won't care as long as we're available for her next scheme."   
Tyler began to smile as well. Terry's enthusiasm was infectious. "You have any money?"   
With a flourish, Terry produced a full wallet. "I was bored the other day, and bucked cases of Coca-Cola onto a truck for a few hours. They paid me nearly a hundred bucks!"   
"Then let's go. This is the nineties, you can treat me." Laughing the two of them disappeared. 

* * *

"I can't believe this," Trini chuckled. "Bulk is going to be hanging out at the party with us!"   
"Believe it," Zack told her, grinning. "He's grown up a lot. A lot of fun to have around, too." Just then, the object of their conversation came out of his house, adjusting his jacket and absently rubbing the black and white communicator which rested on his wrist.   
"Ready?" Bulk asked. Trini and Kimberly looked him up and down. Kimberly whistled, causing Skull to raise an eyebrow at her.   
"Bulk, you look great," Kimberly said frankly. Bulk's hair was neatly combed, and the tuxedo jacket he was wearing was impeccably tailored to fit his beefy frame. Now that he had lost weight and gained muscle, he looked marvelous.   
"Thanks. The tux was sort of a going-away present from the office in France. They took me to a tailor and had a suit and a tuxedo custom-made for me."   
"I think you outshine us all, Bulky," Skull grinned, only half-serious. The anniversary party was a formal affair, and all the Rangers were dressed in their best. Skull wore a white tuxedo with a pink vest. On anyone else, it would have looked ridiculous, but he managed to pull it off. Kimberly, of course, wore a pink sheath dress which showed off her body perfectly. Jason's black tuxedo had a dark red vest, and Jamie, leaning on his arm, wore a beautiful knee-length gown of purple velvet. Zack, of course, wore a black tuxedo with sparkling black cummerbund and tie, which perfectly matched Angela's shimmering black dress. Richie wore a tuxedo with a light yellow vest and tie, which went perfectly with Trini's yellow Chinese-necked silk gown. Embroidered on it were tigers and kirins, Chinese unicorns. Finally, Billy wore a tuxedo with a vest of midnight blue. Next to him, Christina shone like a star in her simple white slip dress.   
"The others will meet us at the youth center," Jason said. "We decided it would be easier if we split into two groups for this." The teens piled into their respective vehicles, and it was off to the dance.   
Once at the dance, they met up with the rest of the Rangers, and Bulk was amused to see that all of them were also dressed in their colors. Looking around himself, he felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't the tie around his neck, although that was helping. Rather, it was the realization that he was definitely the odd man out in this group. They all shared a secret, an experience far beyond anything he had ever known, and he was firmly on the outside. They didn't do it on purpose, of course; they couldn't help it. Still, he felt as if he were standing on one side of a glass wall, and Skull, his longtime and only friend, was securely on the other side.   
Sighing, he looked around the room. Suddenly his jaw dropped. A short girl with sandy, curly hair, dressed in a police-blue gown, was standing at the punch bowl, watching the dancers wistfully. Summoning all his courage, he walked over to her.   
"Connie?" he asked quietly. She whirled, her eyes wide. "Long time, no see," he continued. "Remember me?"   
"Farkas? How could I forget? You were the one that gave me the courage to quit the force."   
"Well, it's nice to know I made a difference, even if it wasn't the one I was aiming for. Are you here alone?"   
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm still the chief's daughter, even if I am off the Junior Police Patrol. You think anyone's going to ask me out?"   
"I would," he said quietly, extending a hand. "Do you want to dance?"   
She stared at him for a long moment, then took it, letting him draw her onto the floor.   
Over where the Rangers were hanging out, Skull looked around, frowning. "Has anybody seen Bulk?"   
Rocky just chuckled, pointing out over the floor. Skull followed Rocky's finger, his jaw hitting the floor as he caught sight of his friend.   
"All right, Bulk!" Skull grinned. He had known from the start that Bulk was interested in Connie Crandall, ever since that awful "Dress your Decade" dance, when he had tried everything to impress her, and wound up getting Lt. Stone fired from the police force. As it turned out, that escapade had been the best thing to happen to both of them. He was just glad that his friend had managed to find someone to care about the way he had. 

* * *

"That was fun," Terry giggled, as she and Tyler left the movie theater. They had gone to see "Men in Black," laughing at the way aliens were portrayed, as well as most of the other things. It had felt so wonderful not to think about battle tactics, or when to attack the Power Rangers. She wished the night could go on forever.   
"Yeah, it was. So what do you want to do next?" Tyler asked, smiling down at her. He had never seen her so happy before, and he couldn't quite understand why that made him feel so good. Still, he wasn't about to give it up.   
"Let's go to the Angel Grove Amusement Park! It's open until two in the morning, and we don't have anywhere to go."   
"Sounds good to me." The two of them headed off to the amusement park. That night, they had been shopping at the Angel Grove Mall prior to going to the movie theater. Terry had gone into a bit of a frenzy, trying on clothes in most of the boutiques they had passed. Tyler hadn't been too upset, seeing as she looked very good in the clothes she tried on. Luckily, they hadn't had to hide from people at all, as seeing Tommy and Jamie around Angel Grove together was not an uncommon sight. As long as they didn't kiss in public, they were fine.   
Once at the amusement park, they rode all the rides, some more than once. Tyler had to admit that this was certainly more fun than fighting for the umpteenth time with Skull or Tommy. The thing that made it best, however, was the expression on Terry's face. She was really getting into living like a normal human, and Tyler felt a pang of sadness that it couldn't be this way all the time.   
At one of the game booths, he won her a little stuffed wyvern, without using any of his special powers. She gave him a kiss, and carried it with her for the rest of the night, although she could have easily stuffed it into a subspace pocket. He had to admit, the thing was kind of cute.   
At two in the morning, after the park had closed, they continued to walk the moonlit streets of Angel Grove, completely unconcerned with muggers. After all, when you could drain energy with a simple touch, or conjure up flames with a wave of your hand, street criminals ceased to be one of your major worries.   
"It looks so beautiful, so peaceful," Terry sighed, looking up at the bone-white moon hanging in the sky above her. "Hard to believe that there's such an evil witch up there, isn't it?" Suddenly she turned to look Tyler in the eyes. "Tyler, I don't want to go back to the moon tonight. Can't we stay on Earth a little longer? I want to see the sun come up."   
Tyler thought for a long moment, then nodded. "I think so. Come on. I know just where we can go."   
Sometime later, after they had hiked up to the top of Maguire's Leap, the two of them lay on a blanket that Tyler had pulled out of their dimension, staring up at the moon and the stars. They lay there, snuggling, talking of inconsequentialities as the hours ticked by. Finally, the sun began to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink, orange, and gold as it came. "So beautiful," Terry murmured, snuggling closer to Tyler. Almost immediately, she was asleep.   
_She's right, it is beautiful,_ he thought, holding her close. _The sunlight is incredible. How can we destroy this? If Rita has her way, the skies will be forever gray with dirt and dust, and no one will ever see this again, certainly not with free eyes. How can we let that happen?_ His thoughts disturbed him. How could he think of being disloyal to Rita? She had created him, and he owed her his fealty. Didn't he? A voice in his heart kept telling him that he didn't owe Rita anything.   
"Think about it later, Oliver," he sighed aloud. Casting a spell of invisibility and a protective shield around the two of them, Tyler settled down to sleep in Terry's arms. 

* * *

On the moon, everything was still. It was the middle of the fourteen-day night on the back of the Moon, where the Winnebago was now parked. Everything was pitch-black- except for the strange, greenish glow emanating from the Mirror of Night where it lay on the table in Rita's workroom. The glow was not the emerald green of Tommy and Tyler's power, but rather a sickly yellow-green, the color of an old bruise. An awful humming sound was heard, growing louder and louder. Rita, woken from her sleep, stumbled into the workroom.   
"What in the nine levels of inferno is going on here?" she cried. The Mirror began to pulse, changing shape. The darkness began to flow out of the frame, changing until it took on a different form. The creature was composed of pure darkness, black as night, and shaped like a dragon. Turning its empty eye-pits towards Rita, it began to chuckle. Rito and Goldar, who had been drawn by the commotion, looked at each other and ran. Had anyone been clocking them, our non-existent observer would have found that they broke the land speed records for winged monkeys, walking skeletons, and most cheetahs. They were over the terminator, the line between dark and light, in about five minutes.   
_I return!_ the creature cried, stretching its serpentine neck towards the ceiling of the Winnebago. _I am released into the world of day once more! It is at last time for me to feed on the darkness of the mortals and attain my throne!_   
Swallowing hard and summoning all her courage, Rita took a step forward. "And just who are you, anyway?"   
_Foolish mortal! I am midnight, I am fear! I am the essence of that which haunts you even in your dreams! I am the demon NYGHTMAYR!_   
Rita blanched. The name of Nyghtmayr was known to all evil beings throughout the galaxy. It was the essence of the worst nightmares of anything it encountered, feeding on the dark emotions of the human spirit. It had created the Mirror of Night long ago from its own essence, and apparently had used it as a gateway to return from the place where the Powers of Light had imprisoned it long ago. Picking up her skirts, Rita Repulsa turned and ran after her henchman and her brother, making better time than either. Behind her, Nyghtmayr's insane laughter echoed in her brain. 

* * *

Much later in the morning, the Rangers were interrupted as they went about their morning routine by the chiming of their communicators. Teleporting to the Power Chamber, they found with some shock that Zordon had summoned all sixteen Rangers, plus Bulk.   
"Zordon, why call all of us?" Tommy asked, stepping forward.   
"Yeah," Jason seconded. "It's a little crowded in here."   
"Rangers, a creature of unfathomable evil has appeared on Earth. It is the demon Nyghtmayr, a living nightmare if one ever existed. It is the creator of the Mirror of Night, which was a part of it. Long ago, the Powers of Light had exiled it to the Lost Dimension, a place from which nothing has returned. It was thought to be contained there forever. Unfortunately, Rita's recent use of the Mirror of Night has released it from its captivity and it has landed in Angel Grove Park. Observe the viewing globe." Zordon's voice was far grimmer than the Rangers had ever heard it. Frowning, they turned to the globe and gasped. A dragon made entirely of darkness was in the middle of Angel Grove Park. It didn't seem to be doing anything, but overhead, a vortex of dark clouds was forming, and the wind began to pick up.   
"It's a Shadow," Tommy whispered, his eyes huge. "It's the template the Shadow Empire was created from." Beside him, Billy swallowed, remembering his incarceration at the hands of the Shadow Empire almost a year before.   
"Indeed, Tommy. One of the many theories on the origin of the Shadow Empire states that they may have been created by a sorcerer who tried to free Nyghtmayr. He failed- and paid with his life. Nyghtmayr is far more powerful than the Shadows you fought, even the one who ran the castle. He will not only be able to absorb your spirit, but your very being, locking you within him forever."   
The Rangers paled at this thought, and Rocky quickly crossed himself and began to pray.   
"We have to stop him," Tommy gulped, "despite the risk. It's our duty, it's what we do. Bulk, are you going to be okay?"   
The bigger boy nodded. "You bet. I'd rather be here watching it happen than at home wondering if you're all right."   
"Rangers, you must be careful. If you do not work together, Nyghtmayr will be too powerful for you. Please, use the utmost caution."   
"We will, Zordon," Jason replied. Looking at Tommy, he smiled. Then, in unison, Jason and Tommy let out their famous call.   
"It's morphin time!" The Power Chamber was suddenly filled with the unprecedented light of sixteen transformations. When they cleared, Bulk and Alpha were the only ones standing on the floor. Sighing, the two turned toward the viewing globe and settled down to watch the fight. 

* * *

Across town, in the Scotts' well-kept two story Tudor, a bridge game was being set up. Leslie Zedden suddenly put down the cards she was shuffling and stared at her husband in exasperation. "Larry, are you going to look out that window all day, or are you gonna play cards?"   
"Leslie, come look at this," he replied. The worried tone in his voice instantly alerted Leslie that something was up. She crossed to the window and stood beside him, watching the dark clouds spreading across the sky. John and Karen Scott soon joined them, and the four adults watched in silence. Finally, Karen spoke.   
"That's not normal, is it, Larry?" she asked in a quiet voice.   
Larry shook his head. "No, I can sense a lot of evil energy coming from it, worse than anything Rita or I ever came up with. Something very evil is afoot. Looks like the kids have gone to work." John and Karen Scott were the only other parents who knew of Larry Zedden's former identity. The Scotts had at first been somewhat leery of the man who had on more than one occasion sworn to kill their son, but Jason's complete acceptance of him had brought them around finally. Now the four parents were good friends, held together by their common worry for their children.   
"I'll go turn on the TV," John sighed. "So much for bridge."   
Soon, the four of them were sitting in front of the TV, watching Marlene Maris of K-Grove News, reporting live from the park. At the moment, she was being herded away from the scene of the monster's appearance with a number of other reporters. Determined not to go down without a sound byte, she shoved a microphone in the face of Detective Park, who was among the police chivvying the reporters away.   
"Detective Park, what would you say is going on out there?" she asked quickly.   
Shooting a worried glance over his shoulder, he replied, "All hell is breaking loose." 

* * *

Out at the park, the Rangers appeared in sixteen flashes of light. "Stay together," Red Ranger cautioned. "We have no idea what this guy is capable of." Slowly, they advanced on Nyghtmayr. The creature regarded them contemptuously, then laughed.   
_So, the forces of Light once more arise. Do you truly think you can stop me, even with so many of you? I am all that is dark within your souls!_ Suddenly, the creature cocked its head, orienting on Red Ranger. _I know you, young one. I have tasted your spirit through my little ones._   
Red Ranger's head snapped up. "What? Oh my god. He isn't just like the Shadows- he's connected to them!"   
_Yess. I will play with you myself. As for the rest of your friends, they can deal with the Minor Demons. Arise, spirits of nightmare! Despayr! Dowyt! Hatryd! Bytyrness! Fyar! Arise!_   
To the Rangers' horror, five blobs of darkness oozed out of the ground, taking on the shapes similar to that of Nyghtmayr, only smaller. Hissing, they advanced on the shocked heroes.   
"Spread out, Rangers!" Jason called, taking control of the situation. "Divide and conquer!" The Rangers did as he commanded, splitting up to deal with the Minor Demons. As Red Ranger turned to join them, a wall of black energy shot out, encircling him, trapping him with Nyghtmayr.   
_Not so fast, young Shadow,_ the demon hissed. _Let's just see what food your nightmares yield._ With the speed of thought, images began to appear. Red Ranger was unable to tell which were before him and which were in his mind. Rita and Zedd, laughing at him, his friends turning against him, the Green Ranger destroying the city, all of these swirled before him in a kaleidoscope of nightmare images, bringing Red Ranger to his knees.   
_Within you is all the darkness and evil that I crave. What shall I feed upon first? Perhaps despair._ Without warning, Red Ranger was plunged headlong into a series of memories.   
"My Power is yours, now, Jason. Use it to defeat Rita." _Oh, dear God, I can't stand it. I'm not a Ranger anymore, I've lost it. What am I now but a failure, useless to anyone?_   
"Our last attempt to revive your powers has failed." _So that's it, the end. Zedd finally beat me. What's the use of trying anymore?_   
_Oh my God, the Zords! They're gone, Rito destroyed them! And Zordon says the power is lost, too. There's nothing more to do, Zedd's won._   
_Zedd destroyed the power coins, and we're stuck in these seven year-old bodies! Billy's back to normal, but we're not! And the Aquitian Rangers can't defend the planet forever. What do we do now?_   
_The Command Center! Zordon, Alpha, NOOOO!_   
_David, I'm sorry. I've failed you, and now I'll never see you again. I barely even got to know you._   
_Jason's dying, and it's all my fault. I should have never asked him to be Gold Ranger!_   
_Kim's back, but I'm still alone._   
_Vile's my father! I'm nothing but a monster, I never should have been a Ranger, never should have been born!_   
Sobbing, Red Ranger reached up and removed his helmet, sinking to his knees. Nyghtmayr watched him with interest, soaking up the despair radiating from Tommy. _I have never fed upon a soul so despairing, or so strong to have borne up beneath it. And I sense that I have just scratched the surface. This one will feed me well._

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other parts of the battlefield, the Minor Demons had encircled each Ranger with the same type of walls that surrounded Tommy, and were evoking the emotion for which they were named. Blue Ranger was tormented by Despayr, surrounded by the shadows of his lost father and girlfriend.   
_You couldn't save me, Rocky,_ Jennifer hissed. _You failed, and I'm dead. You failed me, Rocky._   
_You're alone, son, and a failure. You promised to take care of your mother, but you spend all your time gallivanting around with your Spandex-clad friends. _Alejandro De Santos, Sr, regarded his son disdainfully.   
Ripping off his helmet, Rocky screamed back at the spirits before him. "I'm sorry! There's nothing I could do! Oh, God, I'm sorry!"   
Without responding, they faded back into the darkness, leaving him alone. Quiet settled over him, and he realized that he was all alone. "Please, don't leave me," he sobbed. "Don't leave me alone. I'm so sorry!" He collapsed to the ground, not even bothering to look as a host of Nyghtmayr's little minions, called Night Terrors, crept up on him through the dark wall around him. 

* * *

Not far from Rocky, Despayr was also holding Zack in his clutches. The young Morphin Warrior was reliving two of the most despairing times in his life: giving up his powers to Adam and watching helplessly as the best friend he had ever had slowly faded away towards death.   
_They didn't want me,__ he thought, anguished. _They never even asked me to stay. It was just "So long, Zack, and don't let the teleport beam hit you on the way out. They never cared, never. I wasn't a leader like Jase, or a brain like Billy and Trini. Tommy and Kim were both better fighters than I am. I'm nothing to them._   
"Poor Zack," a voice said behind him, filled with mock sympathy. Whirling, Zack found Angela watching him, a cold smile on her face. "You're pathetic. I don't know why I bothered with you. You're nothing but a useless wimp. I hate you."   
"Angela!" he cried, stretching a hand out to her. She faded away, leaving to stare after her emptily. 

* * *

Frowning, Tyler looked at the darkening sky. The two of them had slept themselves out up at Angel's Bluff, and awakened to take a walk through the city. Now the two of them were walking through the empty business district, looking at the fear-inspiring clouds above them. Suddenly a line from Macbeth flashed into Tyler's head. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," he whispered. Beside him, Terry swallowed.   
"You feel it, too?" she asked quietly. "I feel strange. Something has happened to the Mirror of Night, something unearthly."   
He nodded. "I think the source of the disturbance is the park. Do you think we should go?"   
"Yes," she replied unhesitatingly. "Whatever it is, we're a part of it. We need to be there, to see it to the end."   
He nodded again, and the two of them headed towards the park, with the manner of people going to what they suspect to be their own execution. 

* * *

_Yesss, you are most nourishing, young Shadow. Shall we try another emotion?_ Nyghtmayr asked sweetly. _Let us see the doubt in your soul, human._   
Instantly, the exhausted Tommy was caught up in a storm of doubts that swirled around him like vultures, waiting for him to fall. They were many and varied, but two seemed to stand out above the rest: _What if I fail them?_ and _Am I really good now?_ Curious, Nyghtmayr probed the first one and was rewarded by a torrent of memories.   
_The Green Ranger, racing to the rescue once again, regardless of his power level, praying that he is not too late._   
"Extend your hand, White Ranger, and receive all that has been granted to you." _Can I do this? Can I make it? Oh God, why am I the leader? Why not Jason?_   
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Tommy, the Green Ranger." _Oh dear God, what did Rita do now? He's me, but evil. How can I possibly fight the dark side of myself?_   
_Oh no! The Zords are blown up! I did this. I should have fallen back. What do we do now? They're all looking at me like I'll have the answer. What do I do?_   
"I've decided that I'll be more use to you guys in the Power Chamber." _Oh, Billy, no. What am I going to do without you? I can't lead this team alone. I've never been able to. You should be the leader. I'm the one who should step down._   
_Can I get my brother back? This arrowhead is supposed to have power, but I can't access it. Maybe it isn't for me after all, but David. That's more likely. I'm not destined for anything special._   
_Hmm,_ Nyghtmayr mused. _Very interesting. What do you suppose the other one holds?_ Reaching out a mental probe, he opened up the thought, and another host of memories came whizzing out, memories of spells and traps, all designed to capitalize on the darkness in Tommy's spirit. Nyghtmayr drank them in greedily, savoring the taste of Tommy's mental anguish.   
_Most satisfying, young one. I will enjoy this immensely._

* * *

Out on the reservation, in the desert east of Angel Grove, David Trueheart was startled out of his meditation by the screaming of a falcon. His eyebrows furrowed and he quickly got to his feet. Following the screams, he found a strange sight. A falcon, its feathers bearing an almost green tinge in the brown, sat on a rock, shaking its head. It suddenly stopped screaming, staring David straight in the eyes. He staggered back at the force of the mental contact.   
The falcon took to the air, leaving David with one thought in his mind. "Tommy's in trouble," he whispered. Tapping his communicator, he quickly teleported out. 

* * *

Laughing to itself, Dowyt regarded the three Rangers that it had trapped in dark walls. Turning its attention to the closest, it chuckled as it watched the young man inside grappling with his own doubts. The Green Ranger had already removed his helmet, and saw himself talking to his father, who regarded him disdainfully.   
"I'm very disappointed in you, Adam. I had hoped that you'd wind up doing something important, not running around in Spandex, endangering the people of Angel Grove. Why do you think I spend so much time at work? I never wanted to be home with you."   
"But-" Adam protested. Vaguely, he could remember his father telling him why he was gone so often, but the memories of too many nights when Trevor Park had not come home, too many games, parties, and tournaments his father had missed, had come between him and his acceptance of his father's absence.   
"You're so worthless, Adam," Tanya's voice said behind him. He whirled to see her with an arm around Shawn's waist. "I finally found a real man. Who needs you anymore, you wimp? I certainly don't. Why don't you just go back to playing with your frogs?"   
"Yeah, Adam," Rocky chimed in, appearing beside him. "I only hung out with you all those years because I felt sorry for you. I've got better friends now. Who needs you?"   
Adam fell to his knees, watching his friends abandon him one by one. _It's true,_ he thought despondently. _I am worthless. Nobody wants me, and why should they? I'm nothing. No one._ As his doubts consumed him, he sank to the ground, crying bitterly. 

* * *

Nyghtmayr could hear the cries of the Rangers as they were faced with their deepest fears, but he could not spare any attention to savor them. All his being was focused on the boy who lay before him, who contained such delicious reservoirs of pain and suffering.   
_How are you feeling, Tommy?_ the demon asked with fake solicitousness. Tommy looked up at it with eyes that seemed almost empty of emotion and life.   
"Fuck off," Tommy said dully. "Go back to Hell."   
Nyghtmayr chuckled. _What was it that one of the demons of your planet's literature once said? "Why this is Hell, nor am I out of it." This is the truth, young Shadow, for at this time, for you, this is Hell._   
Trying desperately to focus on something other than what was occurring, Tommy managed to identify the quote. "Mephistopheles," he mumbled. "One of the versions of the Faust legend." Unfortunately, he couldn't remember which one.   
It suddenly ceased to matter as Nyghtmayr reached out to him and opened his mind once again. This time, the demon released all of Tommy's deepest fears. Instead of being dropped into a series of memories, though, Tommy found himself kneeling on the grass, holding Lillian in his arms. A horrific wound marked her abdomen, and she stared up at him accusingly as she died in his arms.   
"NOO!" he cried. Looking around himself, he saw all of the Rangers, Zeo and Morphin Warriors, lying dead around him. "What happened? What did this?"   
"Why, you did, Green Ranger," Goldar's mocking laughter replied. Tommy whirled to face the large golden monkey.   
"I'm not-" he began, before he looked down at himself. His voice died as he realized he was dressed in green Spandex, its sparkle muted by the blood which covered it. "No. No! What did you do to me?" he screamed.   
Goldar merely chuckled. "I did nothing. Your own personal darkness took over. It was only a matter of time, you know, even after Dr. Kino got rid of the Green Ranger. All that stress, all the problems you've been having, I'm not surprised you snapped. And now the Power Rangers are all destroyed. My mistress owes you a great debt, Green Ranger. As a thank-you, I'm going to spare your life. I'd love to see you explain this one to Zordon." Still laughing, the monster teleported out.   
Tommy sank to his knees, shaking his head. "No. It isn't real. I can't have- Oh, God, NO!" He began to sob.   
Nyghtmayr watched the boy as he hallucinated. _Now I see why he has been able to live through all that he has. With his friends at his side, nothing managed to hurt him. Now that he is alone, though, he cannot stand up to the fear and pain within him. It will be most rewarding when he becomes one with me._

* * *

It had been a quiet day for Dr. Lita Kino. She'd had only two patients, and both had been ordinary cases, one a stress management problem, the other a mild case of depression. She hadn't heard from any of the Power Rangers since Jamie and Jason's encounter with Rita's evil Morphin Warriors. That worried her. Usually something was up, and at least one kid was having problems that compelled them to come see her. The sudden quiet period had her nerves in an uproar.   
Suddenly the coin she wore around her neck, the defunct Green Power Coin, began pulsing with a bright green light. Lita frowned. She had never seen it react quite that way before, but she knew that something was going on. Reaching out, she hit a button. The television that was tucked into a discreet corner of the office clicked on, and Lita found herself watching a newscast live from the park. The Rangers seemed to be trapped in strange walls upon which dim images flickered. Lita could hear, just at the threshold of her senses, Trini begging her friends not to abandon her, not to hate her, even if she deserved it. Lita's eyes flashed and her face hardened. One of the Rangers enemies had finally launched an effective psychological attack on the teens. If they were to come through, they would need her help. Lita leaped to her feet and ran out the door, telling Serena, her secretary, to hold her calls. Once she was in a secluded portion of the office, she teleported to the Power Chamber. 

* * *

The demon Fyar had also trapped three Rangers in his forcefields. The White and Gold Rangers were interesting to watch as they confronted their worst fears, but the fears themselves weren't very original. They saw their friends dying, their loves in jeopardy, all of the usual things that Fyar had seen from a hundred sentient life forms.   
Kimberly, on the other hand, had some very interesting fears, indeed. Her hallucination had started off, like most others, with her finding herself among the bodies of her dead friends. However, there was one major difference from most people's nightmares. The body of her boyfriend, Skull, was nowhere to be found.   
"Maybe he's alive," she whispered to herself. "Oh, God, I have to find him. Where is he?"   
"Looking for me?" a voice said behind her. She turned to see Skull watching her with unreadable eyes.   
"Skull?" she said breathlessly, taking a step towards him. The look on his face caused her to stop, though. "Are you all right?"   
"Oh, I'm fine," he said, advancing on her. "Better than ever, actually." His eyes flashed with white light, punctuating his statement.   
"No, please," she moaned to no one in particular. "Not another spell! Why my boyfriends?" She tried to dodge as he came after her, but he was too fast for her. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pulled her to him, kissing her roughly. While she was struggling, he locked a metal collar around her neck. Instantly it flashed pink and she found herself back in civilian clothes. With a wicked smile, Skull grabbed her and teleported her out. 

* * *

The demon Bytyrness was also enjoying his three captives, the Pink, Silver, and Yellow Rangers. Yellow Ranger was confronted with her ex-boyfriend Shawn, who had dumped her so cruelly. He was standing there with his arm around his current girlfriend Veronica. The two of them were laughing at her, and in return, she had ripped off her helmet and was screaming at them.   
The Silver Ranger's illusions were not as entertaining for the demon. She was simply faced with the people who had made her moving to Angel Grove miserable, especially Lisa Carrol, the android that Mondo had sent to lure Rocky to his doom after his first girlfriend's death. Bytyrness turned away from her with disinterest, preferring to watch Pink Ranger.   
She had removed her helmet, and now she watched with narrowed eyes as images of Kimberly paraded before her. Kim with Tommy on one arm, Kimberly dressed perfectly, Kimberly, always the perfect little center of attention.   
"Why?" she asked rhetorically. "Why did I have to be Pink? I could never compete with Kimberly, sweet, pretty Kimberly. Tommy never loved me, he was always interested in her. Everyone prefers Kimberly. What do I matter?" she spat. Other images flowed up inside her, images of Rita's spell, Tommy laughing with Lillian, and the way all the Rangers seemed to ignore her whenever possible. Sitting down on the grass with her head in her hands, Kat abandoned herself to the bitterness inside her. 

* * *

_Fear, bitterness, doubt, despair. Your memories yield them all, young Shadow,_ Nyghtmayr cackled. _Now for the last, most powerful of the dark emotions within you- hatred. Tell me, Tommy, whom do you hate?_   
Unbidden, images of Rita, Mondo, and every other villain came into Tommy's mind. _I hate them. They've taken away my friends, my powers, any chance any of us might have had at a normal life. They hunt us at every turn. I hate them!_   
_Yesss,_ Nyghtmayr hissed. _You hate them all, very good. But you're holding back. Who else do you hate, Tommy? Let me see._   
Tommy fought the demon's probe with all that he possessed, all his mental tricks and magic powers, but was unable to stop the slow, steady opening of the memory that he tried to hold shut. Soon it came completely open, allowing Nyghtmayr to see what lay within.   
_I hate myself,_ Tommy sobbed mentally. _I'm weak, I'm a danger to my friends. No one loves me, I'm not worth it. I hate myself, all I want to do is die..._   
Nyghtmayr was taken aback by the amount of self-loathing in Tommy's mental voice. It had never known a human in whom duty was so strong as to override such a powerful death-wish. _It is a miracle that he is still alive,_ the demon thought privately. _I would have thought that he would kill himself a long time ago. _Eagerly, greedily, Nyghtmayr opened itself up to Tommy's hatred and began to feed. 

* * *

Hatryd, the last of the five Minor Demons that Nyghtmayr had summoned, was having the time of his life with his three captives. He could not decide which one was the most entertaining of the three. The Black Ranger was faced with Rita Repulsa, who regarded her with amused disdain.   
"You bitch," Black Ranger growled. "You made his life a living hell! How could you do what you did to him so many times?"   
"Now, dear. Surely you understand Tommy's delightful potential for evil. How could I not make use of such a man?"   
"I ought to rip your black heart out."   
"Only if you can catch me," Rita said smugly. As a hallucination, she was uncatchable, although Black Ranger tried extremely hard.   
Meanwhile, Purple Ranger found herself face to face with her old nemesis, Jack Doyle. "You're dead," she snarled. "I killed you myself, you bastard."   
Jack shrugged. "Well, you obviously didn't do a very good job. Care to try again?"   
Purple Ranger suddenly found a gun in her hand, a forty-five automatic, just like the one she had used on him the first time. "This time, you aren't going to make it," she promised him, taking aim.   
"Temper, temper, Jason," Goldar taunted, avoiding another of Jason's sword strokes with ease. "You'll never catch me at this rate."   
"I'll rip your heart out, you son of a bitch," Jason panted. "After the living hell you've made out of my life and Tommy's, nearly killing my friends and the people I love, you ought to be glad I'm just going to kill you." Jason's eyes were almost glazed over by the strength of his fury. Although he couldn't see it, the walls of his prison were glowing with deep black energy, all his hatred being used to strengthen them and the demon who maintained them. 

* * *

"O'Neil!" a voice yelled, causing Parker to wince. He'd been sneaking around the edge of the battlefield, trying to find some angle that would allow him to figure out what was going on. He'd been lucky in dodging the police so far, but it looked as if his luck had just run out. Turning around, he saw Detective Trevor Park regarding him sourly.   
"Detective, what can I do for you?" Parker asked, a small smile on his face.   
Trevor snorted. "You could evacuate the area, as you were ordered to do. However, we both know you won't. What are you trying to do? There's not much of a story here, and won't be until the battle is over."   
"Do you think that's all I care about?" Parker shot back. "The Power Rangers have saved my life too many times for me to count, and now they look like they're getting creamed. I want to help them if I can."   
Trevor sighed. He liked Parker, far more than he liked any of the other reporters in Angel Grove. The man was genuinely more interested in helping people than getting a scoop. It was almost a shame that he couldn't be told that his sister was out there on the battlefield.   
Suddenly, Trevor's communicator toned, and immediately after that, Zordon's voice came from the wristband. "Detective Park," the being boomed, "please come to the Power Chamber immediately, and bring Parker with you. I believe we will need his help to defeat this latest menace."   
Trevor shrugged. "Whatever you say, Zordon," he replied. "Come on, kid. You wanted to help out the Power Rangers; here's your chance." Snagging the sleeve of Parker's leather jacket, Trevor teleported out.   
The two of them materialized in the Power Chamber to find Lita, David, and Bulk already there. Parker gaped at his surroundings while Trevor crossed to face Zordon's warp tube. "We're here, Zordon. What do you need us for?"   
"Why am I here?" Parker added in amazement.   
"The five of you are here because you are close to the Power Rangers, and you can take care of yourself in battle. Lita, you have a black belt in aikido, David has a black belt in karate, Bulk has been trained in hand-to-hand, Detective Park is ex-military as well as being a policeman, and Parker has extensive training in kendo and boxing."   
Parker shrugged. "Considering the number of people who would be just as happy if I disappeared, I have to know how to fight. But what do you mean, I'm close to the Power Rangers. I barely know them."   
"Actually, you're close to one in particular," Lita informed him. "Your sister, Lillian, is the Black Zeo Ranger." Parker's jaw hit the floor.   
"So that's what she's mixed up in," he managed finally. "Is Tommy Oliver one, too?"   
"Yes. He's Red Zeo Ranger."   
"I don't get it, Zordon," David interjected. "How will being close to the Power Rangers help us?"   
"Alpha and I have examined the walls that surround the Rangers, and have discovered that they are evil in its purest form, pure concentrated hatred. The only thing that will weaken the walls and help break the spells the Rangers are under is love and friendship, which are the basis for all good. The five of you have strong feelings of love and friendship for the Rangers, and therefore you must reach them, for I cannot. I would not put you into danger if there was any other way, but I am afraid that I have no choice."   
The five looked at each other, then back up at Zordon. Speaking for all of them, David replied, "We'll do it."   
"Parker," Alpha piped up, "you are more capable with a sword than with your hands. Please, take this with you." Alpha handed the young man a silver katana with a black hilt. "It's very strong, and has some anti-magic properties that will help you against the Night Terrors."   
Parker took the sword from the little android, testing its heft. "All right, let's go." The five dissolved in white streaks of light, heading for the battlefield. 

* * *

Trevor landed next to the walls in which his son was imprisoned. They towered above him, black as midnight, dark and imposing. Inside, he could hear Adam talking to an illusion, and to his surprise, he could hear the illusion responding in his voice. Growling, he approached the walls. "No one does this to my son and gets away with it," he informed the black energy barriers. "Most especially, no one uses my face to do it!" With that, he walked right up to the wall, which flowed back to let him pass. He was surprised for a moment, then remembered what Zordon had said about the composition of the walls.   
Quickly, he surveyed the scene around him. Adam was sitting on the ground, staring blankly at an image of his father, who was continually telling him that he was a failure, a disappointment to his parents, especially his father. Trevor growled again, taking a step towards the illusion. He had always known that his older son had a problem with low self-esteem, although it had seemed to be getting better since he had met the other Rangers. However, the illusion had pushed exactly the right buttons, bringing it all back in a rush.   
Trevor's advance was halted by the sounds of chittering. He turned to see several of the little Night Terrors advancing on them. The things were a good deal smaller than he was, but he knew that if they mobbed him, he'd be in big trouble. "I don't have time to deal with you right now," he told the little monsters, pulling his .38. "Eat lead." Snapping off several shots, he blew two of them up completely, and made the rest think twice about attacking him without a plan. Then he turned back to his entranced son.   
"Adam? Adam, listen to me. That's not real. That thing that's talking to you is not your father." No response. Adam still stared straight ahead, listening to the illusion's litany of his failures. "Adam, please, you have to listen to me. That thing is lying to you. I'm very proud of you, and I love you very much. Do you hear that, Adam? I love you. I'm your father, and I love you."   
Adam's head cocked and his attention shifted. "Dad?" he asked hazily, his eyes struggling to focus on his father.   
"Yeah, Adam, it's me. Come on, come back to me."   
"Why should I?" The bitterness and self-doubt in Adam's voice was evident. "I'm a failure, a disappointment. Just let me go."   
"No. Damn it, Adam, I'm not going to let you go. You're not a failure. I'm more proud of you than I could ever say. You're a Power Ranger! You save the world every day, practically. I only put away a scumball at a time, if I'm lucky, and they always keep coming back. You, you're doing something I can only dream about. You make a real, noticeable difference. You're a true hero, Adam, and I'm so proud of you, and I love you very much."   
"Then why aren't you ever home?" Adam whimpered. A pang shot through Trevor. He hadn't been home enough in his life. He'd always been so dedicated to his work that he'd sometimes overlooked his family. Eileen had put up with it, and never said a word, and he hadn't realized how his constant absences had affected his children.   
"I made a lot of mistakes, Adam," Trevor said quietly. "I let my work grow until it eclipsed everything else. It was never more important than my family, but- it was more immediate, I guess. So I devoted all my time to work and forgot about everything else. I don't know, maybe I wanted to prove I could do anything anyone else could do. Maybe I wanted a secure job to make sure that you kids had everything you needed. I didn't have a lot, growing up, and I always wanted to give you kids the things I didn't have. Whatever my reason was, it wasn't good enough. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry. It was a mistake, though. Don't ever think that I stayed away because I was disappointed in you, or that I didn't love you. I'm very proud of you, Adam, and I love you with all my heart."   
Adam stared at his father for a long moment, then burst into tears, throwing his arms around the older man in a fierce hug. "I love you too, Dad," Adam sobbed into his father's shoulder. "I love you, too."   
With those words, the walls surrounding them flashed once and crumbled into nothingness. Adam pulled away from his father, staring around him in awe. "Wow," he managed.   
"Mm-hmm," Trevor agreed, rising to his feet. "Amazing what three little words can do, isn't it?" Bending over, he picked up Adam's helmet and handed it to him. "Here, you might need this. The place is crawling with reporters."   
Adam chuckled, putting the helmet back on. "Thanks, Dad. You'd better go back to the Power Chamber, though. Not much else you can do here."   
Trevor nodded. "Right. You be careful, son." He disappeared in a flash of white light. Green Ranger smiled.   
"I will, Dad. Bet on it." With that, he headed off to where he could hear Tanya's cries coming from inside one of the enclosures. 

* * *

Parker was examining the enclosure he found himself next to when he heard a breathy hissing sound behind him. Turning, he saw a dragon-like creature, approximately the size of a large St. Bernard, regarding him cruelly. Taking a defensive position, his sword out in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"   
_ I am Hatryd, demon of hate and malice. You seek to deprive me of my sustenance. For that, you must die._   
Parker's face hardened. "Your 'sustenance' is my sister, buddy. Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it. Come on!"   
The Minor Demon charged him, swiping at him with one taloned hand. Parker dodged smoothly, counter-attacking with a swipe that removed the tips of most of the talons. Ducking the creature's barbed tail, he leapt forward, launching a few attacks of his own.   
The two of them fought for a while, and then Parker's greatest advantage in a fight kicked in- his mouth. "Come on, Puff," he panted. "You can do better than that. Aren't you the spirit of darkness of the soul? Get real. You couldn't hate your way out of a paper bag. 'Demon of hate', my eye. 'Mild dislike' is more like it."   
Parker's words had the desired effect. The creature lost its temper, throwing itself at Parker in an obvious charge. The reporter's years of training in kendo paid off, allowing him to smoothly intercept the demon's charge, slicing it neatly through the midsection with his katana. The thing regarded him for a minute, astonished, and then dissolved into the dark blob from which it had originally formed. The blob soaked back into the grass and was gone. Parker whistled.   
"Buffy, eat your heart out," he grinned. Then he turned back to the enclosure that held his sister. Summoning his courage, he closed his eyes and stepped through the wall.   
Black Ranger was surrounded by images of the various villains who had threatened the Power Rangers over the years. She was screaming at them, threatening them with various painful things she'd learned to do in the course of aiding her brother in his career. Parker swallowed at the sound of the raw hatred in her voice. He hadn't realized how much of a capacity for hate his sister had, especially when her boyfriend was threatened. He had managed to pick up from the things she said that Tommy had been put through the emotional wringer a number of times by the villains present.   
"Lillian," he said quietly, stepping forward. She whirled to face him.   
"What are you doing here?" she snarled. "You're just like them. Did you think I didn't know about the background checks you ran on Tommy? Why can't you leave him alone? Why do you have to keep poking and prodding? I-" she broke off, her voice dying.   
"You hate me?" Parker finished quietly. "No, you don't. You may be angry with me, and I don't blame you. I shouldn't have run that background check on Tommy, I admit. That was uncalled for. But I did it because I care about you, and I didn't want to see you hurt. I love you, sis. I always have. And I know that you don't hate me."   
"I don't," Black Ranger sobbed, throwing herself into his arms. "I love you too." As the walls dissolved around them, she looked up at him and cocked her head. "Parker, what are you doing here? And how did you know about my being a Ranger?"   
"Your boss recruited me, because only love and friendship are strong enough to break down these walls. He told me about your day job, too. Now, are you going to be okay? I need to get back to the other reporters before someone notices I'm missing."   
She nodded. "I'll be fine, Park. Thanks." She hugged him again, and he transported out. 

* * *

"Third down, and goal to go," Bulk grunted. "They go for the punt!" So saying, he kicked one of the Night Terrors that was attacking him. It soared up into the air, flying high over the battlefield. The rest of the little creatures scattered, not wanting to deal with Bulk. Now unencumbered, the larger boy made his way to the wall which imprisoned Skull. Inside, he could dimly hear his friend crying. Taking a deep breath, Bulk pushed his way through the wall.   
Inside, he saw Skull, faced with images of Kimberly and the other Morphin Warriors. To his surprise, Bulk also saw an image of himself, looking at Skull with obvious disdain.   
"How could you ever think we'd want a loser like you around?" Jason sneered. "If it weren't for you getting the Power, we'd have dumped you long ago."   
"Yeah," Kimberly giggled. "You thought I'd actually want to go out with you? Yeah, right. As if! Why would I want to date you, when there are so many better choices out there?"   
"Bet you're sorry you abandoned me, huh, Skull?" the illusion of Bulk taunted. "I don't need you anymore, either. You can just go back and hang out with your other friends- if you can find any."   
With a growl, the real Bulk stepped forward. "What a load of bull. Come on, Skull, do you really think I'd do that to you? Any of us? Skull, we've been friends since kindergarten. We were inseparable! We spent more detentions together than I care to recall, looked for the Power Rangers together, joined the police force together, and became detectives together. Yeah, we split up when I wanted to stay in France and you didn't, but that's all it was about, different goals. I never thought you abandoned me, and I never stopped being your friend. I figured that since you had all these other friends now, you wouldn't need me anymore."   
Skull looked up at his friend in confusion. "Bulky, I'd never think that. You're the best friend I've had in my life, and I don't think that's ever going to change." The two friends stared at each other for a moment, then hugged, hard, for once not concerned in the least what people would think of them. Around them, the dark walls flickered and died out. Skull looked around him.   
"Thanks, Bulk. You'd better get out of here, though. Things may get real nasty in a minute." Bulk chuckled.   
"You got it, buddy. Be careful." In a flash, Bulk disappeared. 

* * *

David groaned to himself. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he didn't like being in the middle of the action without any powers. He still believed that Tommy was the best leader for the Zeo team, but he couldn't help wishing for some sort of power himself, especially when he wound up in situations like this.   
His train of thought was broken as he approached the enclosure which held Kat inside it. He could hear her muttering to herself, something about Kimberly. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the wall.   
Inside, he instantly realized what emotion was overwhelming Kat. The images of Kimberly at her most perfect made it obvious that Kat was in the grip of a rush of bitterness. Taking a step forward, he rested his hand on her shoulder.   
"You're just as good as she is, you know," he said conversationally. "I think you're prettier, too. You're just as smart, you're as good a diver as she is a gymnast, and you're just as good a Pink Ranger."   
"You're the only one who thinks so," Kat spat. David raised an eyebrow.   
"Are you sore about Tommy? As I recall, you didn't have feelings for him, not really. As for the other Rangers, notice that no one even suggested that you give up your Zeonizers. Kat, you're something special, and I think you know it too. I certainly do. I love you, Kat. Who cares how you compare to Kimberly?"   
She looked at him for a long moment, and smiled. "I love you, too, David. Thanks." Around them, the walls dissolved into nothing as Kat put her helmet back on. Around them, the walls were all disappearing as the Rangers who had been freed broke down the barriers around their imprisoned comrades and attacked the Night Terrors and Minor Demons. Skull threw the illusion duplicate of himself against the wall of Kimberly's enclosure, causing the illusory situation to dissipate, and then the two of them went on to destroy the demon Fyar. All over the battlefield, the Minor Demons were meeting their demise at the hands of the angry Rangers. As the walls faded, all attention turned to the last enclosure, where Tommy and Nyghtmayr still fought.   
His face set, David followed Pink Ranger as she and all the others began to converge on the last of the dark walls. "No one messes with my brother and gets away with it," he muttered. "You're history, Nyghtmayr." 

* * *

Sighing, Lita looked up at the wall which surrounded Tommy and Nyghtmayr. Behind her, she could sense the Rangers coming up behind her. Looking to one side, she saw Black Ranger give her a thumbs-up. On the other side was David Trueheart, regarding the black walls grimly. "All right," Lita called. "This is the big one. Come on, guys. We have to hit it with everything we've got."   
In unison, the Rangers spread out, each coming up to the coruscating energy barrier. As they reached out, the black light flowed back and away, exposing a sight that made them all gasp. Silver-white energy trails were coming out of Tommy, heading towards Nyghtmayr. The Red Ranger lay on the grass, staring blankly at the sky. The motion of his chest was almost imperceptible, and everyone understood that the demon was stealing Tommy's soul.   
"Madre de Dios," Blue Ranger whispered, hurriedly crossing himself.   
Skull and White Ranger exchanged glances and began to concentrate, reaching out to Tommy with their psychic senses. "He's given up," White Ranger reported, a concerned note in her voice. "He's so steeped in his fear and pain that he just let Nyghtmayr take over. We have to reach him."   
Lita cocked her head. "I know. We'll do what you did for Jason when he was almost gone after what happened with the Gold Powers. Warriors, behind Skull. Zeos, behind Christina. David, you and I will bridge the gap. It's time for a mental link."   
"Are you nuts?" Skull yelped. "We'll be open to all of Nyghtmayr's mental attacks if we do that."   
"And if we don't do it, we'll lose Tommy, to something a lot worse than death," Lita shot back grimly.   
"Let's do it," Black Ranger declared. Moving into position, the Rangers began concentrating. Soon, Skull and White Ranger were glowing brightly and a link was established to Tommy's mind.   
_Tommy!_ Lita called. _Where are you? Come on, Tommy, come back to us. We love you._ To the others, she sent, _Show him we love him. Send him all your love._ Waves of love and affection poured through the darkness to the small isolated mind in the depths of the netherworld they found themselves in. Slowly, so slowly that Lita almost thought she was imagining it, the mind brightened and reached out a few questioning tendrils.   
_Lita? Guys? Where are you? I'm so scared, please, help me._ Tommy had no sooner gotten these words out than a black wave washed over him, swamping the tendrils of communication in blackness. He was isolated once more.   
_I don't think so!_ Lita sent determinedly, even though her thought had no real destination. _Come on, Rangers, back me up. Tommy! _With a powerful mental heave, she threw out a powerful, shining rope towards Tommy's mind. Feeling something grab on, she began pulling it back.   
_Lita, pull me back!_ Tommy's mental voice cried, growing stronger. _I want to come back!_ The Rangers hauled, and they could feel him getting closer. Suddenly a black shape, reminiscent of the demon Nyghtmayr, grabbed onto Tommy, hauling him back into the darkness. Turning his awareness to the thing, Tommy's power flared. If he had been in his body, his eyes would have flashed green. _I don't think so,_ he hissed mentally. _Eat size 11!_ He lashed out with what he pictured as his foot, knocking the thing back into the darkness. Then he was swallowed up in a rushing tunnel of light, and he didn't know anything more. 

* * *

Returning to their bodies in a rush, the Rangers staggered and nearly fell to the ground. As her vision cleared, Lita could see the last silver wisps of Tommy's soul re-entering his body. Even as she watched, he stirred and sat up, reaching for his helmet as he did so. Slamming it back on, Red Ranger rose painfully to his feet.   
"Thanks, guys. Lita, Dave, I think you'd better get back to the Power Chamber now. We can handle this," Red Ranger puffed. Lita and David looked at each other, shrugged, and disappeared in two flashes of white light. Red Ranger backed up until he and his friends were standing in a tight group.   
"We know how to beat this guy, now," he told them. "As long as we've got our friendship, he can't touch us."   
_True, Ranger, _Nyghtmayr snickered, but neither can you touch me. _You are not pure enough, any of you. Like all beings, there is darkness in your hearts. You are not good enough to stop me._   
"Then let's change the equation!" a voice rang out. All the Rangers turned behind them to see Tyler and Terry, in their Morphin Warrior gear, standing behind them. Tyler glared at the creature fiercely. "You're worse than Rita," he continued. "She wants to conquer the world, but you want to destroy it. We won't let you get away with this!"   
"This planet is too beautiful to let you ruin," Terry cried. "We will stop you, no matter what the cost."   
_Oh? Do you know the price you pay for this change of heart?_ the demon asked, nonchalant.   
Terry nodded grimly. "We know."   
_Then let the battle be joined!_ Black lightning arced from the clouds above Nyghtmayr, striking the ground all around the Rangers. Where the ebony bolts touched, more of the little Night Terrors sprang up, advancing on the Rangers. Immediately they made a ring, instinctively surrounding Red Ranger and Tyler. The Green Warrior laid a hand on Red Ranger's shoulder.   
"Tommy, I know how to stop this guy! A major charge of magical power should blow him out of existence. He's concentrated evil magic, the dark side of the grid. If we pool our powers for a good cause, the magics should annihilate each other, somewhat like a matter-antimatter reaction."   
Red Ranger regarded his foe for a long moment, then nodded, morphing back into Tommy. "You've got a deal. Guys!" he called, raising his voice. "Keep those little creeps off our backs!"   
"You got it!" Gold Ranger called back. The little creatures began to advance slowly on the assembled Power Teens.   
"Let's kick some butt," Zack grinned. With a number of shouted battle cries, the fight began. Tommy, in the center of the circle, thought later that he would remember the fight as long as he lived. The cries of the Rangers, the sounds of chittering mixed with cursing, the wind whipping overhead, and over it all, Nyghtmayr's dark laughter. Meanwhile, he and Tyler grasped each other's hand and began to build a ball of bright green power between them.   
The ball grew and grew, humming loudly as it began to shine over them. Looking at his duplicate, Tommy was surprised to see tears in the other's eyes. "We can't send this to him," Tyler informed him grimly. "One of us will have to walk it in. I'll do it."   
"No way!" Tommy cried. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself."   
"Think, Tommy!" Tyler hissed. "Nyghtmayr is, in essence, the Mirror of Night. Terry and I were created from it. When it goes, we go! I'm dead anyway! No sense you throwing away your life."   
"But-" Tommy began, then stopped, seeing it was hopeless. "As you wish," he sighed.   
"I don't have the right to ask a favor of you, I know, but I need you to do one last thing for me," Tyler continued. Reaching up to the front of his uniform, he ripped the Dragon Coin from the fabric. The costume faded away even as he did so. With his free hand, he extended the coin to Tommy. "Give this to Terry before the explosion. The Morphin Powers we have are the only parts of our beings that were not created by the Mirror. One link isn't enough to save us from dissolution, but two should be. Give it to Terry, and tell her-" Tyler's voice cracked and he paused to get it under control. "Tell her that I finally learned to say 'I love you.' Please."   
Biting his lip, Tommy reached out and took the coin from Tyler. "I will, man," he said quietly. "Good luck."   
Tyler smiled slightly, then broke the grip. The green ball flickered for a moment, then flowed into Tyler, causing him to glow brightly. His face set and hard, Tyler walked through the Night Terrors as if they weren't even there, approaching Nyghtmayr with ease. The demon looked down at Tyler in surprise.   
_You are one of those created from my essence, yet you glow with the light. Do you truly intend to go through with this, knowing what will happen? You will be destroyed, completely. Nothing of you will survive, even in the next world. Not just death of the body, but the true death._   
Tyler shrugged. "It's worth it, for her. I wouldn't expect you to understand. Besides, as someone on my planet once said, 'It's a good day to die.'" He began to glow even brighter. "See you in Hell, Nyghtmayr." In a flash of emerald fire, Tyler released all the power within him, resulting in a green flare bright enough to blind the watching Rangers and light up the sky around the park for a radius of five miles. When their sight cleared, the Rangers saw no trace of Nyghtmayr anywhere, and only Tyler's crumpled form on the ground.   
Terry fell to her knees, clutching the coin that Tommy had pressed into her hand moments before. "You idiot," she sobbed. "Why did you have to go and be a hero?"   
"That's what really destroyed Nyghtmayr, you know," Trini said quietly. "The power was just sort of the triggering mechanism. The demon was really destroyed by a flash of pure good, the love found in a selfless sacrifice."   
"'Greater love hath no man, than that he lay down his life for his brother,'" Blue Ranger quoted softly.   
"Right," Tommy said, a slight tinge of bitterness in his voice. "Come on. I have to see." Helping Terry to her feet, he escorted her to where Tyler lay, unmoving on the turf. "He told me to tell you that he loved you," Tommy told her quietly. "It must have been true."   
Sinking to her knees by his side, Terry looked the body over. "He doesn't have a mark on him," she said helplessly. "After an explosion like that, how can that be?"   
"He was at ground zero. Everything exploded from around him. It wasn't the damage that killed him so much as the power leaving him, and the destruction of the Mirror," Tommy told her gently.   
She brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, barely noticing the purple-green spark which crackled from her fingers as she did so. Then, taking his coin, she situated it on his chest. "This belongs to you, Ty," she whispered. "I love you too." This time, the energy was more noticeable, and Tyler's head moved perceptibly. "What the hell?" Terry cried.   
"Billy!" Tommy yelled. The teen genius was by his friend's side instantly. "What's going on?"   
Billy removed his visor and polished it on his vest. "It's possible, just possible, that Tyler's not quite dead. Remember what Zordon told us. The Mirror of Night, and Nyghtmayr, were pure, unadulterated evil. They were hate incarnate, as anything they created should be. But when Rita made copies of you and Jamie, she had to copy your bond. The mirror, as you know, could neither create or destroy parts of what it reflected, only change them. A love went in, so a love had to come out, one way or another. While your love for Jamie is platonic, the love of friends, Tyler and Terry had a more romantic, passionate love. Still, any type of love was enough goodness to disrupt their condition as pure evil. Therefore, they were transmuted into true organic human beings. The destruction of Nyghtmayr only stunned him, and the power flowing through him sent him into some sort of comatose state."   
Terry had listened to Billy's explanation only up until he mentioned that Tyler might not be dead. Then she threw her arms around her lover and held him tightly. The purple-green energy flowed between them faster and faster, until they were both swallowed up in its light. When the light faded, Tyler was sitting up, holding onto Terry as if he would never let go.   
"He's alive!" Blue Ranger yelled. The whole team had joined the group at this point, and were now watching in astonishment.   
"Let's go back to the Power Chamber," Tommy smiled. "Maybe Zordon can clear a few things up for us." 

* * *

"So your life energies are linked," Billy finished. After everyone had returned to the Power Chamber, explained events to the five waiting friends and family members, and Billy had repeated his explanation of why Tyler was still alive, Zordon had run a check on Tyler and Terry's physical condition. "You'll be extremely empathetic with each other, but that shouldn't be a problem. Also, the amount of energy required to bring Tyler back was so immense that you both burned out your links to the Morphin Grid. You are no longer Morphin Warriors, and I don't know if your powers will ever return."   
Tyler and Terry grinned at each other. "That's all right," Terry informed Billy. "I've had enough of fighting for a while, maybe forever."   
"Alpha has finished creating you new identities," Zordon rumbled. "You are now Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Oliver of Angel Grove. I have also found a spell which will keep anyone from noticing that you resemble Tommy and Jamie."   
"You've got an apartment, a good credit rating, and are enrolled at AGBI," Alpha piped up. "We figured you'd want to be married, but if not, we can change that."   
"I like the idea," Tyler grinned. "What about you?" For an answer, Terry just kissed him. When she let him speak again, he turned serious. "I know we don't have any powers, but just remember, if there's anything we can do for you, let us know."   
Tommy smiled. "You know it, man. Good luck." 

* * *

"Rocky, give them a chance to move in before you clean out their refrigerator," Adam scolded. Rocky was on his third can of Jolt, part of a housewarming present to Tyler and Terry as they moved into their new apartment. Most of the male Rangers were helping the pair into their apartment, as were Lillian and Jamie. The two girls were never ones to be left out of heavy lifting.   
Tyler grinned at the two. "Let him drink it. He brought it, after all, and there's the rest of the 24-pack still in the refrigerator."   
"You don't know Rocky like we do," Tommy explained, setting down his end of the couch. "Give him enough Jolt, and he'd move everything in by himself."   
"What's wrong with that?" asked Terry, from where she was directing Jason and Skull in setting up a bookcase.   
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Lillian chuckled, "but don't most people like their china unbroken?" Setting down her end of the couch, she wiped her forehead.   
Rocky pretended to pout. "I resemble that remark!" he cried, and was promptly pelted by dust rags.   
Sometime later, most of the teens had gone home, and only Tommy and Lillian were left in the apartment with Tyler and Terry.   
"Look, I really want to thank all of you guys for being so understanding," Tyler began.   
Shaking his head, Tommy raised a hand to stop him. "Hey, you're friends. We always help our friends."   
"We nearly killed you," Terry reminded him sardonically. Tommy just chuckled.   
"Hey, it's forgiven." His demeanor grew serious. "If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that everyone should get a second chance."   
Tyler nodded, half-smiling in recognition of their shared history. "Thanks. You won't regret it."   
"I know," Tommy replied. "I know." 

* * *

On the Moon above, Rito, Goldar and Rita returned to where their Winnebago had been, only to find that there was very little of it left. "He destroyed everything! My trailer's gone, my Morphin Warriors are gone, what am I going to do!" Rita cried.   
"There's still the palace," Goldar reminded her. "Mondo pays it little attention now that Gasket has returned. We could return there and set up shop again."   
"Good idea, Goldar. I'm glad I thought of it." Turning back to the earth. "I'll get you for this, Power Rangers. You've ruined my plans for the last time. I swear I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!" Her shriek reverberated off the rocks of the moon around them, causing Rito and Goldar to cover what passed for their ears.   
"Um, Sis, do you think you could keep it down?" Rito asked. "You're giving me a headache!"   
Rita turned slowly, her eyes flashing with fire. "What did you say?"   
The walking skeleton gulped. He was stupid, but he wasn't that stupid. "Um, nothing, Sis. Nothing at all."   
Rita's staff flashed, and a bolt struck the ground near Rito's feet. He took off running, Rita close behind him. Watching them go, Goldar shook his head. Things were once again back to a semblance of normal. 

The End... for now   
  
  
  



End file.
